THE Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced the appointment of James Sumner as its new chief executive.

James has more than 20 years of experience in the NHS and is currently chief accountable officer at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust.

The Mid Cheshire trust runs Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford.

Dennis Dunn MBE, chairman of Mid Cheshire Hospitals, said: “Following an extensive national search, I am delighted that James Sumner will be our new chief executive officer.

"James brings with him an impressive track record of organisational success across key trusts and systems in the NHS and will undoubtedly inspire us to continue to be the best that we can be for our patients.

“Our aspiration to be an outstanding trust, together with our role in developing as part of an impressive integrated health system across Cheshire, is matched by his own ambition for Mid Cheshire Hospitals.

"I am confident that we have our next inspirational leader of the impressive staff already here.”

James joined the NHS in 1999, initially working in primary care before moving on to several regional quality improvement roles.

He moved into the acute sector in 2005 and has held a number of operational and strategic roles since, including deputy chief executive at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.

In 2016 James became chief officer of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, part of an emerging large group of NHS organisations.

James is currently accountable for Salford Royal Hospital and an integrated care organisation that brings together health and social care across Salford.

James said: “I am delighted to be joining MCHFT as chief executive, an organisation with great ambition and values with an exciting future.

“I have been incredibly impressed with the staff I have met and the significant progress the organisation has made over the last decade.

"I look forward to working with the board to further develop these ambitions and also with partners in Cheshire on the challenging and exciting agenda ahead.”

James is set to take up his new post in July.

In the meantime, medical director and deputy chief executive Paul Dodds is the trust’s interim chief executive.