Chris Barham

Chris qualified as a doctor in 1972, and began his specialist career in anaesthetics in Tunbridge Wells following a house physician post. After posts in south London and Brighton, Chris was appointed as a Consultant Anaesthetist to Queen Victoria Hospital in 1980. He held numerous management roles during his long career, including as the very first Medical Director.

One of Chris’s major interests is in clinical informatics, implementing one of the first computerised anaesthetic record systems in 1990 and then going on to lead Electronic Patient Record programmes in Kent and nationally. He has also undertaken several other senior management roles, including Head of Anaesthetic Department and Chief Clinical Information Officer. Chris has also been involved with activities nationally at the Association of Anaesthetists (as an elected member of Council) as well as the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Department of Health, and additionally was part of the team that first took QVH to NHS Trust status in the 1990s – a pivotal moment in the hospital’s illustrious history.

Chris was elected as a public governor of the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 2020 and became lead governor in 2022, having now returned to his public governor position in 2025. He pledges to continue to do all he can to ensure that the excellent service that the hospital provides to its patients is maintained and developed, and that its long-term future is secured.

Away from the hospital, Chris enjoys enjoy gardening and playing croquet at his local club in Tunbridge Wells, at which he is currently chairman.