Adrian Bull

Adrian is a qualified doctor and holds specialist qualifications in general practice and public health medicine. Prior to becoming a chief executive at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Adrian had a varied career having worked as an epidemiologist, a medical officer at the Royal Navy, a senior executive at AXAPPP Healthcare and a managing director at Carillion Health. He was also the chief executive at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation.

Q: Was there a particular job, opportunity or experience which convinced you to apply for the chief executive role?

No.  It had been an ambition of mine for a while and the right opportunity came up at the right time.

Q: How does your clinical background help you to perform effectively as a trust chief executive?

I had my clinical experience long ago, so my expertise as a clinician is not relevant. However my experience as a clinician is helpful. The biggest contribution that the shared experience makes is providing a common understanding of the culture of medical professionalism, the demands and responsibilities of the role, and the nature of the work being undertaken. Having a shared experience of that sort (over ten years as medical student and practising clinician, followed by consultant in public health medicine), provides for a mutual understanding and affinity. This is a good basis for a relationship with the medical and wider clinical body which is important to their engagement in the organisation and my general leadership of them.

Q: "If I knew then what I know now…" - your advice for clinicians thinking about stepping in to a chief executive role?

Get early experience in more junior leadership roles and formal training in business management – not necessarily an MBA but some explicit executive development programme. I did not undertake an MBA because I felt that I had had enough of academic study (in addition to my basic medical degree I was dual qualified as MRCGP and MFPHM as well has having an MD). In retrospect I would have liked to have done either an MBA or a year’s accelerated programme in business management. However my experience outside the NHS in commercial organisations provided a crash course in these issues by experience. If I had not had that I do not think I would have had the necessary skills and knowledge to perform the role effectively.

The biggest contribution that the shared experience makes is providing a common understanding of the culture of medical professionalism, the demands and responsibilities of the role, and the nature of the work being undertaken.

   

Q: What are the challenges you’ve faced balancing your priorities as a clinician and your responsibilities as a trust chief executive? How have you overcome these?

Not really relevant. My consultant role was as a public health physician which overlapped naturally with management.

Q: Have you considered maintaining clinical practice alongside your chief executive responsibilities? And why/why not?

No. I do not think I would do either of the roles proper justice if I attempted that.