Sir Ian Cheshire will join Spire Healthcare as chairman
(Picture: Barclays)Spire Healthcare, one of Britain’s biggest private hospital operators, has appointed Sir Ian Cheshire as its next chairman.
Former Kingfisher boss Cheshire will start as chairman-designate today and take on the role officially from May 13 following the group’s annual meeting.
He will succeed Garry Watts who last year said he planned to retire after nearly ten years as chairman.
Cheshire offers significant chair experience, including at Barclays. He is currently a non-executive director of both Barclays and BT Group. Cheshire is also seen as a contender for the BT chairman role, some analysts think.
Cheshire said: "I am delighted to join Spire Healthcare at such an important time for UK healthcare. The company has navigated the challenges of Covid-19 well and is set to emerge from the pandemic with a stronger business. I look forward to helping the management team to drive that business forward."
The appointment was announced as Spire Healthcare, which does work such as heart surgeries and knee operations, showed how its income was hit last year as it gave over space within its 39 hospitals for the NHS during the pandemic.
In 2020 Spire Healthcare gave over the use of its sites to the NHS for mostly non-Covid related treatments such as urgent cancer care, with the government covering the firm’s costs. That meant Spire offered less private operations where it books profits.
For the year the company recorded a pre-tax loss of £18.5 million, before one off adjustments linked to previous historic acquisitions. It posted a total statutory pretax loss of £231 million compared to a £9.6 million profit a year earlier.
Revenue fell to £919.9 million from £980.8 million.
Spire Healthcare is still working with the NHS, but was able to restart more private work towards the end of 2020.
Chief executive Justin Ash said the company has seen a 29% rise in enquiries about private healthcare since the start of 2021 as people look to the private sector while NHS waiting lists look long.
