Dr Jim Gardner
Group Chief Medical Officer
Jim was appointed as Group Chief Medical Officer on 1 November 2024. He joined LUHFT as Chief Medical Officer in June 2022.
In a career of over 30 years, Jim has undertaken senior leadership roles across primary and secondary care, the private sector, charitable sector and academia.
Having studied medicine at Cambridge University and London, Jim undertook a series of clinical roles across England and Australia before becoming a GP Partner in a high performing practice in Cumbria. During this time, he established an out-of-hours GP co-operative for South Lakeland and was the founder executive chair for several years.
Jim then became the Medical Director of North Lancashire Primary Care Trust and subsequently the Medical Director and Responsible Officer for the Lancashire Area Team of NHS England. He was a Health Foundation Leadership Fellow and a member of the NHS Top Leaders programme.
Jim also worked in the School of Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire and helping to establish a brand-new medical school for the northwest of England. At this time, he also held posts as a trustee of a hospice and a non-executive director of an NHS hospital trust.
In January 2020, Jim was appointed as the Executive Medical Director at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and held that post until his appointment to LUHFT.
Jim currently holds two other roles: a Non-Executive Member (representing hospitals) of the Advancing Quality Alliance (Aqua) Board, and a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Medical Sciences, The University of Bolton.