THE chief executive of James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced that he is leaving his role.Adrian Pennington will today be leaving the role to take up a new position at the East of England Strategic Health Authority.

THE chief executive of James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced that he is leaving his role.

Adrian Pennington will today be leaving the role to take up a new position at the East of England Strategic Health Authority. Here he will be leading the next phase of development for the NHS as project director, leading on embedding quality across the NHS in the East of England.

Mr Pennington said: 'It is with much sadness that I leave James Paget. I have enjoyed my time leading this organisation and the brilliant and committed people who work in it. I am pleased with our progress as a Foundation Trust; the commitment to invest heavily in new facilities and services; and being one of the few Trusts in the country to be awarded a double excellent by the Healthcare Commission.'

'The next phase of development for the NHS is to embed quality across the whole system,' he continued 'and I am excited about the opportunity of leading work in this area across the East of England.'

John Hemming, chairman of James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We would like to thank Adrian for his contribution to the Trust as Chief Executive over the last two years. During this time we have made notable progress as a Foundation Trust including achieving a double excellent rating from the Healthcare Commission and making significant progress in infection prevention and control. Quality is a high priority across the NHS and we wish Adrian every success in his new role as Project Director for NHS East of England. We look forward to working with Adrian in his new role."

'We are very pleased that Wendy Slaney, currently medical director at the Trust, has agreed to take on the role of chief executive at the Trust for the next 12 months. This will ensure continuity whilst we put in place a process to appoint to this role.'

Wendy Slaney, medical director, said: 'The next year will be challenging and exciting for the Trust as we take forward further quality improvements to our services. I am very much looking forward to working with staff and our patients to ensure the continued success of the Trust.'