A NEW chairman has been appointed at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT)

Ian Johnson is expected to join the trust in March/April this year, replacing departing chair, Pearse Butler.

Ian is the current Chair of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - a post he has held since April 2012. Ian has wide commercial, management and board level experience both in the UK and internationally.

A qualified solicitor, Ian has more than 30 years’ experience in the legal profession and has worked at a number of prestigious international law firms and FTSE 100 companies.

He said: "I am delighted to have been appointed chair of the trust. As someone who was born and brought up in this area, I know the importance of the trust to the communities it serves.

“I have a strong commitment to the NHS and am very fortunate to be following on from Pearse, who with Dame Jackie, will leave behind a great legacy in transforming the trust into a high performing organisation.

Dame Jackie Daniel, Chief Executive of UHMBT, said: "I am delighted to welcome Ian to the Trust. Although I will leave the Trust shortly, I am looking forward to working with Ian as we continue the work of integrating local community services for the benefit of patients. It really is a great place to work and I am confident that Ian will receive as warm a welcome as I did when I joined The Trust.”

She added: “I am incredibly grateful for the support Pearse has given me and the team during his time with the Trust. Pearse has been a great leader supporting our drive to continually improve standards of care for patients and has steered the Trust through some incredibly difficult and challenging times. I wish Pearse the very best for the future.”