The trust is currently under the leadership of chair Peter Lachecki and chief executive Deborah Lee.

The trust was formed in 2002 by a merger of Gloucestershire Royal and East Gloucestershire NHS Trusts,[3] has an annual operating income of £550 million, 960 beds, over 150,000 emergency attendances and 800,000 outpatient appointments each year.

The intention was to achieve VAT benefits, as well as pay bill savings, by recruiting new staff on less expensive non-NHS contracts.

The Value Added Tax Act 1994 provides a mechanism through which NHS trusts can qualify for refunds on contracted out services.

[10] The plan, called Our Journey to Outstanding, includes significant transformation that sets out how the organisation will achieve its vision of "Best Care for Everyone".