News

Chief Executives announced for new Primary Care Trusts in the South West

20/09/2006

Chief Executives for new Primary Care Trusts in the South West are announced today.

They will lead new Primary Care Trusts which will be established on 1 October 2006. The new Primary Care Trusts will play a major role in improving the health of their population and delivering services that meet the personal needs of local people.

On 16 May 2006 the Department of Health announced the new shape of Primary Care Trusts across England. In the South West, this resulted in our Primary Care Trusts reducing from 32 in number to 14.

These changes will ensure that new Primary Care Trusts are more closely aligned with the boundaries of Local Authorities that provide social care, and this will allow us to develop closer working with Local Authorities.

It is important to have strong and effective leadership in the new Primary Care Trusts, and the selection process for Chief Executives has been rigorous.

The new Chief Executives for Primary Care Trusts in the South West are:

New Chief Executives for Swindon and North Somerset Primary Care Trusts will be confirmed shortly.

Three other Primary Care Trusts are unaffected by the reconfiguration process. Their Chief Executives are: Rhona MacDonald at Bath and North East Somerset, Penny Harris at South Gloucestershire and Peter Colclough at Torbay Care Trust.

"These appointments are a major step in providing strong and effective leadership in Primary Care Trusts, which will enable us to take forward and accelerate the next phase of NHS reform,“ said Sir Ian Carruthers OBE, Chief Executive of NHS South West.

“The Primary Care Trusts of the future will play a vital role in improving health and healthcare for their local population. They will commission the very best NHS services for their patients, and will help drive more modern NHS services in the community as well as enabling local people to look after their own health and well-being.”

For further information, please contact Andrew Millward, Director of Communications and Corporate Services at NHS South West, on 01249 858652 or Kate Barrett on 01249 858858.    

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