Tributes paid to Peter Mount, business leader, NHS champion

Tributes have been paid to Peter Mount, the former chairman of Central Manchester NHS Trust, amongst many other roles in a long and successful life in the North West.

In his business career Peter served as the chief executive of Thorn Fire Protection prior to its sale to Williams Holdings in 1994. He was a popular and engaging leader in the business community in Oldham, where the factory was based, and volunteered to drive skills development through his work as chairman of the Oldham Training and Enterprise Council.

On stepping down from commercial life, beyond a few non-executive roles, he threw himself fully into the National Health Service and served as chair of Salford Royal Hospital Trust from 1994 to 2001, then Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. There he was a key driver for the building of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, completed in 2009. He received a CBE from Her Majesty the Queen, and retired formally from the NHS in 2014. He has a building named after him at the hospital, another recognition of his contribution.

Peter also chaired the NHS Confederation for a time and made many firm friends in the health sector who were impressed not only by his strategic approach to problem solving and policy, but that he was incredibly supportive to colleagues. He inspired many with his tenacity, as he set up a programme to help support refugee doctors who came to the UK to find work.

He also harnessed his connections to campaign with The Nursing and Midwifery Council to address a “miscarriage of justice” that means thousands of India-trained nurses have been unable to achieve registration despite living and working in the UK for years.

A devout Catholic, in 1994 Peter formed Helping Uganda Schools (HUGS), a charity initially formed to build schools for 15 vulnerable children in Uganda influenced by his friend Father John Kyazze. It now raises over £100,000 a year supporting the building and development of schools in Uganda and other African countries. As of 2023, HUGS now runs 6 schools, including the first for special needs children in western Uganda, and has changed the lives of 1000s of children.

As John O’Brien, commercial director of the NHS Confederation said: “What an amazing legacy…he was truly extraordinary.”

Peter was also passionate about communities and sustainable transport, frequently seen around Compstall and Marple Bridge on his electric bicycle. With incredible civic pride and energy he was involved in the Marple Local Neighbourhood Plan, getting it to the consultation stage by harnessing people’s knowledge and passions. He was difficult to say no to when he asked a favour, for the plan, or for Probus, a local social group that kept retired people engaged and entertained.

He is survived by his wife Margery, children Clare, Joanna and Jonny, who gave him seven grandchildren, and many, many friends.