Trust appoints new boss (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Trust appoints new boss

THE Primary Care Trust which, from April 1, will own and manage Cirencester Hospital has appointed its first chief executive.

As expected, he is Richard James, who for months has been acting as director of the project to establish the Cotswold and Vale PCT.

Mr James, who is currently chief executive to the Severn NHS Trust - which will disappear on April 1 - lives in Nupend near Stonehouse with his wife Jenny and their four children.

After his appointment was announced, Mr James said he was "very excited and positive" about the future of health services in the Cotswold and Vale area.

"We are blessed with teams of dedicated and highly skilled healthcare staff with a deserved reputation for providing high-quality care and treatment," he said.

"The birth of the PCT will mark a further shift towards local decision-making on health, and our priority is to involve patients and residents more fully in the development of their services."

Mr James has been chief executive of the Severn Trust for nine years, before which he spent four years as general manager of Salisbury District General Hospital.

He had earlier been general manager at Salisbury's Community Unit.

The new PCT will cover 627 square miles and a population of 190,000 people, most of whom are in the major towns of Cirencester, Stroud and Dursley.