POOLE Hospital chief Debbie Fleming has been appointed interim joint chief executive of both Poole Hospital and The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as both establishments prepare for a merger.

Ms Fleming has been chief executive of Poole Hospital since April 2014 and has over 30 years’ experience in the NHS. She joined Poole Hospital from NHS England, where she served as area director for Wessex, and has also held a variety of other senior posts within the NHS including more than a decade in chief executive roles at Bournemouth and Poole and Hampshire primary care trusts. She began her NHS management career at Poole Hospital and enjoyed ten years as the trust’s general manager for medicine during the 1990s.

The appointment was made after an independently led selection process and has been formally been approved by both Trusts.

"Both Trusts have a long track record of providing outstanding care, and both are highly valued by local people," said Ms Fleming. "I shall be proud to work with staff, clinicians, governors and members across the two organisations, as we move towards merger and take forward our significant capital programme. I am also really pleased to be continuing to work with local partners and stakeholders, in implementing the wider Dorset transformation plan."

She said both hospitals had an 'exciting, positive future' and promised: "All will continue to be places that patients want to come to for treatment, and places where staff want to come to work."

The Trusts also approved the appointment of current RBCH Chair, David Moss, who is now interim joint chair of both RBCH and Poole Hospital.

The decision to create both posts has been made to assist in the creation of the major planned and a major emergency hospital site for east Dorset and to assist in the transition towards potential merger. The appointments have been supported by both NHS Improvement and the Competitions and Markets Authority.

David Moss has been chair of RBCH since March 2017 and has extensive experience of health services locally. He was chief executive of Poole Hospital from 1985-1988 and held the same position at Southampton University Hospitals Trust from 1988-2004, where he oversaw the transformation and merger of 10 hospitals into one Trust. He has also been deputy director of human resources for the NHS, interim chief executive of The Royal College of Physicians and has extensive non-executive experience.

The new arrangements will be in place from 1 January 2019.