Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT Chief Executive Named
Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust today announced the appointment of Caroline Fowles as their first Chief Executive to lead the new NHS organisation's drive to modernise local health services.
Ms Fowles will bring a wealth of health service experience and knowledge with her to the post, having spent most of her working life in the NHS.
Ms Fowles, has been leading the development of the Trust as Project Director for the last year and before that was Chief Executive of the current Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Group. The Primary Care Group has been working closely with doctors and nurses, partner agencies and community groups to help move decision making on health services to a more local level.
The new organisation will work with other organisations to improve the overall health of local residents. The Primary Care Trust will be responsible for developing primary and community healthcare services, improving the quality of care for patients and promoting closer working between health and social care staff and with the independent sector. The PCT will work with local NHS Trusts to commission secondary care (hospital) services for patients.
The new organisation will bring together staff and skills from Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Group, Gloucestershire Health Authority and parts of East Gloucestershire NHS Trust's community services.
Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust as a local NHS organisation aims to bring a fresh look at the way it delivers its responsibilities, putting the aim of improving people's health experience at the heart of the organisation.
Caroline Fowles said:
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to continue serving the residents of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury. It has been a real privilege, over the last three years, to have worked with so many dedicated and highly skilled colleagues within the local NHS services and partner agencies and also with those in community organisations who work so tirelessly to support local people".
"Much has already been achieved by working together to develop services for patients and I am hugely optimistic for the future. The Primary Care Trust will offer an opportunity for those working directly with patients and local communities to learn and develop together and work on local health priorities - finding new and creative ways of addressing them. The development of primary care teams and an effective partnership between our staff and our communities will be crucial to this".
