A NEW medical director has been appointed at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Dr Darren Kilroy, who had been acting as interim medical director, has officially taken up the post following the retirement of his predecessor Ian Harvey in August last year.

Chief Executive Officer Susan Gilby said: “Following a very competitive appointment process, I am delighted to announce that Dr Darren Kilroy has been appointed as executive medical director. Darren has already demonstrated his commitment to continuous improvement of our services during his time as Interim Medical Director.

“He brings a significant amount of leadership experience to this important role. I look forward to continuing to work with Darren and the rest of the executive team in developing and delivering our new strategy which will see the Countess not only survive but thrive.”

Dr Kilroy, who has been interim medical director since October, will start in the role substantively with immediate effect, having joined The Countess as divisional medical director in April 2018.

Darren said: “I look forward to leading our highly skilled and committed clinical teams at The Countess. To work alongside such high calibre colleagues is an incredible privilege.

“The health and care system regionally is evolving at pace and it is vitally important that we improve and remodel our services so that responsive, productive and accountable care is assured for the patients we serve. This will only be achieved with the engagement and support of our medical staff.

“This challenge, alongside fantastic support clearly evident from our whole board, makes it a great time to be joining the executive team at the trust.”