LAST week, we sat down with the new chief executive of Princess Alexandra Hospital, Thom Lafferty to see how he has settled into the job.

This is a mighty undertaking, with the hospital at a key point in its history.

Mr Lafferty and his team are pleased with the new hospital announcement made by health secretary, Wes Streeting.

You get the sense that they feel a road map has been laid out in first of them, more than any other time in the history of this project.

However, there is the challenge of present estate and its condition. We have been down there and seen for ourselves (film coming up).

But, in more ways than one, this is part of a maze of funding challenges facing the Trust.

We are simply here to ask questions of Mr Lafferty but we sensed his ambition and laser like focus on the challenges ahead.

In a wide ranging interview, we covered his first few months, the new hospital, cancelled appointments and his plans for today, tomorrow and the future.