New PCT chief gets to work

NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney's new Chief Executive has spoken of his ambition to drive through real improvements to health while bringing care closer to home during his first day at the PCT.

NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney's new Chief Executive has spoken of his ambition to drive through real improvements to health while bringing care closer to home during his first day at the PCT.

Dr Sushil Jathanna, completed his first day at the primary care trust today (2 November) - and is already relishing the challenges and opportunities which his new role offers.

The 52-year-old has joined NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney after working as a Director at NHS North East Essex. He replaces Dr Paul Zollinger-Read, who has fulfilled the role of Interim Chief Executive for the past five months.

Dr Jathanna brings with him a wealth of experience in both the NHS and private medial sector along with specialist knowledge of public health - expertise he plans to put to good use during his time in Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

'I am delighted to have started work with NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney,' said Dr Jathanna. 'The PCT has made great progress over the past six months, and I am looking forward to working closely with colleagues to build on the work which has already been done while finding ways to drive through further improvement.

'Great Yarmouth and Waveney has some very specific health needs, with a high prevalence of risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption and considerable deprivation in certain areas. Although these statistics presents us with some significant challenges, they also show that we have a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of the people we serve.

'As well as working to reduce inequalities across the PCT area, I am also looking forward to helping make health services easier for people to access. Along with our partners in the NHS and outside, we will be finding effective ways to transform our services and make them more convenient while bringing care closer to people's homes.

'Coupled with this will be ensuring we continue to commission innovative services which provide good value for money. The NHS will face significant financial challenges over the coming years - we need to make sure we plan ahead and find different ways of working so that the quality of the services we commission on behalf of our patients is not compromised.'

Dr Jathanna began his medical career as a Senior House Officer before becoming a Registrar in Medicine for the Elderly at West Norwich Hospital. After specialising, he went on to join Colchester and Tendring PCTs as Director of Public Health. Dr Jathanna has also spent six years in the private sector, as Managing Director of Care UK's healthcare division.