ALAN Burns will be joining the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) as the new Chairman on Thursday 1 December 2016. Alan, a retired NHS Health Authority and Strategic Health Authority Chief Executive joins PAHT from Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust (HHCT) where he served as Chairman from 1 April 2015.

Alan has experience of delivering significant strategic change. He has had over 30 years’ experience within healthcare and is a passionate believer of public sector values. Until recently he provided consultancy support on the effective management of major change, transition and turnaround, with a particular focus on financial recovery and board development.

Alan said: “During my time at HHCT I have faced many challenges. I joined the Trust just after they had received ‘inadequate’ in their CQC Report in 2015. Since then I have helped to navigate the Trust out of special measures and I’m very proud to say they received a rating of ‘good’ in August 2016.

“After talking to the Executive Team at PAHT I have no doubt that we will all work together during these challenging times to ensure the next CQC result is the best it can be.”

Alan joins the Board of Directors at PAH on Thursday and will chair the Board meeting on Monday 19 December 2016.

Phil Morley, Chief Executive at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust said: “I am incredibly thankful that Alan is joining our Trust Board. His experience and knowledge will be a huge benefit to our team and the Trust as a whole. I have every confidence that he will use his leadership and expertise to help us to improve and exceed our targets in order to get out of special measures.”

The appointment was made by NHS Improvement who is responsible for appointing all chairs and non-executives to NHS trusts throughout England.  All appointments are subject to the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, and made following an open competition based on merit, in a way that is open, transparent and fair to all applicants.

Jeffrey Worrall, Delivery and Improvement Director at NHS Improvement said: “We are pleased to welcome Alan Burns into his new role as Chair at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.  Alan has a strong track record in the NHS at leadership level and a commitment to providing excellent local healthcare services. He will bring with him a wealth of expertise to help Princess Alexandra Hospital continue on their journey of improvement and really drive services forward. We look forward to working with him in his new role.”