Dr Jim Gardner Executive Medical Director

About me

Jim is a Health Foundation Leadership Fellow and Executive Medical Director of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS FT.

Jim graduated in 1988 and trained in hospitals in London, Australia and the Lake District before becoming a GP. Jim was a GP partner in Kendal, Cumbria for a decade, combining his clinical work with management and public health roles with various local PCTs.

At the time of his fellowship, Jim was Medical Director and Professional Executive Chair at North Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust. As medical director, his main responsibilities were to ensure the safety and competence of GPs, dentists, optometrists and pharmacists contracted by the trust. This role also included leading a quality and standards directorate that works to improve the quality of care across the whole community.

Jim left NHSE in 2014 and worked as Medical Director for a private sector organisation before joining the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) in 2016 to help develop a new medical school. In 2018 he also became a Non-executive Director of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and on 1 January 2020 took up the role of Executive Medical Director.