Recovering cancer performance

Mark Cubbon

National Priority Programme Director for Planned Care

NHS England

Mark is the national priority programme director for planned care at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and is also chief executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Mark has worked in the NHS for his entire career. He joined the NHS as a nurse in Greater Manchester in 1992. He has also held a range of senior leadership roles in his career, including CDO for NHS England, chief executive at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, regional chief operating officer for NHS Improvement in the Midlands and East of England, and several director roles in London NHS trusts, including Moorfields Eye Hospital, Whipps Cross and Barts Health.

Daniel Elkeles

Chief Executive

NHS Providers

Daniel is our chief executive, joining NHS Providers in May 2025. He brings over 30 years of NHS experience, having started his career on the NHS management training scheme in 1995. Daniel has held senior roles across acute, community, commissioning and regional settings, and has been an accountable officer since 2012. Before joining NHS Providers, Daniel was chief executive of London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, where he led major improvements in organisational culture and staff experience, resulting in the trust’s best-ever NHS staff survey results. He previously served as chief executive of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, where he oversaw the creation of a combined acute and community trust and helped lead the development of integrated care. Daniel is passionate about improving workplace culture and inclusivity, and is committed to supporting provider leaders across the NHS.

Louise Donovan

Associate Chief Operating Officer

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

Louise started her career on the NHS General Management graduate training scheme. Prior to joining the scheme, she graduated with a law degree and joined the Healthcare Commission as part of their independent review team. Louise has held several senior transformation and operational management positions including at deputy director, associate director levels. She has worked in a range of tertiary, DGH and specialist trusts as well as regional level for NHS England. Her areas of expertise centre on transforming Planned Care, Cancer and Maternity pathways resulting in significant performance improvements.

Ned Hobbs

Chief Operating Officer

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

Ned joined The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust as chief operating officer in October 2024, having previously been chief operating officer and deputy chief executive at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust. Ned graduated from the University of Nottingham before joining the NHS Graduate Management Training scheme in 2008 in the West Midlands region. He completed his Masters in Health and Public Leadership in 2011 and has carried out a variety of operational management roles – predominantly in the acute hospital sector. He also graduated from the NHS England and Ashridge Business School Aspiring Chief Operating Officer programme in 2019. Prior to joining SaTH, Ned led Walsall Healthcare’s operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic and delivered strong access performance with consistently upper quartile (nationally) ambulance handover and 4-hour Emergency Access Standard performance, and upper quartile Cancer 62-day Referral to Treatment and 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard performance. Ned was also appointed deputy chief executive officer at Walsall Healthcare in July 2023, and also undertook secondment with the NHS England national Urgent & Emergency Care team in from June 2023 - September 2024.