Hospital boss named

9:04am Wednesday 25th June 2008

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HE has been in temporary charge of York Hospital since last autumn - now Patrick Crowley has been appointed chief executive on a permanent basis.

Mr Crowley was made acting chief executive last November following the departure of Jim Easton, who left to take up a new position as chief executive of the South Central Strategic Health Authority.

Mr Crowley is the York Hospital's former director of finance, who has worked at the trust for the past 15 years.

He said last autumn that he had no aspirations to work elsewhere, saying: "York is in my heart."

Mr Easton said then that he and Mr Crowley had been working "virtually hand-in- glove over key issues," and it was advantageous for his colleague to act in the interim until a new chief executive was appointed.

Now the recruitment process has resulted in Mr Crowley keeping his hands on the reins for the future.

Mr Crowley was unavailable for comment yesterday, but he told The Press last December that his ambitions for the trust were a future allowing it to" improve the hospital environment where it was most challenged - particularly the ward block."

He also wanted stable finances that would offer a real choice in terms of the services provided. "We have to continue to aspire to be the best, and collectively work towards this.

"I believe anything is possible if we trust and believe in ourselves and are prepared to take whatever action is necessary to keep us moving forward."

He said the biggest single challenge was uncertainty created through the Primary Care Trust's financial situation, while the immediate challenge was one faced every year in the winter period.

He said that he had had to learn quickly in some areas where he had no prior knowledge, and had also had to work hard to leave his finance and performance director role behind.

* Christine Green has been appointed chief executive of the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust on an "interim basis," following the shock resignation of Iain McInnes last week after less than two years in the top job.