Deborah Lee joined Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a chief executive in June 2016 from the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UHBNHSFT) where she was the chief operating officer and deputy chief executive. Deborah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation and for implementing the long and short-term strategy. Deborah has been nationally recognised by the Health Service Journal as one of the Top 50 Inspirational Women in Healthcare. She qualified originally as a registered nurse, before returning to university to read economics and subsequently gained an MBA from Bristol Business School. Deborah started her NHS management career in 1990 and has worked in acute, primary and community sectors, holding board appointments in three different commissioning organisations before joining UHBNHSFT.