Hugh McCaughey is National Director of Improvement in the new NHS Executive group.

Hugh helps ensure NHS providers and local systems are equipped to deliver world-class universal healthcare on a sustainable basis.

He oversees the delivery of high impact support to the NHS to help reduce unwarranted clinical variation, improve quality and access, and ensure the most effective and efficient use of resources.

Hugh started in this role on 1 April 2019; previously, he was the Chief Executive of South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland from 2009, where he made quality improvement a key strategy.

He is a member of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and is a founding member of the Health Improvement Alliance Europe and the UK Improvement Alliance. He is Chair of the Ulster Rugby Academy and a former coach, player and manager.