Council of Governors appoint new NEAS chairman
A new chairman has been appointed by the Council of Governors at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.
Governors confirmed the appointment of Peter Strachan at a special meeting held on 17 April. This follows the resignation of the Trust’s Chairman, the late Ashley Winter OBE, who sadly passed away following a short illness.
Mr Strachan, a graduate of Durham University, returns to the North East from Scotland to join the ambulance service after a career in the railway industry, latterly as chairman of UK Rail and managing director of the Caledonian Sleeper for Serco PLC. He has also served in senior roles with Network Rail and the Department for Transport. Mr Strachan has strong links and family ties to the region. He will join the Trust in June.
Yvonne Ormston, Chief Executive of NEAS, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming Peter to the organisation and feel very confident that through his positive leadership, NEAS will go from strength to strength.
“Peter is a very people-centred person and this, together with his tremendous skills and experience, makes him a great asset to NEAS and the wider NHS in the North East”.
As an NHS Foundation Trust, NEAS has around 12,000 public and staff members who elect governors to a council that holds the Board of Directors to account and is responsible for appointing the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors.
Mr Strachan added, “It’s a great privilege to be appointed to chair the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. I’m very much looking forward to making a difference to the communities and people of the North East through the vital role the Ambulance Service plays in the healthcare of the region.
“I’ve been really impressed by the commitment of the team and dedication for our patients throughout the organisation, and I believe my passion for service improvement will allow the Trust to build on the very high standards already achieved.”
Lead Governor, Michael Glickman, welcomed the appointment having been closely involved in the selection process. He said, “We are confident that Peter will provide strong leadership whilst being responsive to the needs of staff and patients.”
ENDS
If you require any further information please contact the North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust Press Office on 0191 430 2099
Notes to editors
For more information, contact the NEAS press office on 0191 430 2099 or email publicrelations@neas.nhs.uk
About North East Ambulance Service
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) covers 3,200 square miles across the North East region. It employs more than 2,600 staff and serves a population of 2.7 million people by handling all NHS111 and 999 calls for the region, operating patient transport and ambulance response services, delivering training for communities and commercial audiences and providing medical support cover at events.
In 2017/18 the service answered over 1.4 million emergency 999 and NHS 111 calls, responded to 280,00 incidents that resulted in a patient being taken to hospital, treated and discharged 27,000 patients with telephone advice and treated and discharged over 100,000 patients at home. In the same year, clinical crews responded to 126,746 of our highest priority patients within the national targets and scheduled care crews completed almost 580,000 patient transport journeys.