A NEW chief medical officer has been appointed by the trust which runs Andover War Memorial Hospital.

Dr Lara Alloway has said she is excited about working with partner organisations to provide the best possible care for the people of Hampshire.

The new chief medical officer took over the role at Hampshire Hospitals’ NHS Foundation Trust – which runs Basingstoke hospital, Andover War Memorial Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester - at the beginning of September.

Her medical background is in palliative care and she has worked at the Trust since becoming a consultant in 2005, holding a number of leadership positions, including medical director.

She said: “It is a real honour to be taking on this role and I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor Dr Andrew Bishop, who has led the Trust as chief medical officer since the formation of Hampshire Hospitals in 2012. I would also to express my thanks to my friend and colleague Dr Nicki Hutchinson for the work she has done as interim chief medical officer in recent months.

“I am passionate about providing the best possible quality of care to our patients and enthusiastic about supporting our outstanding staff to provide that care. One of my priorities will be to make sure that all of our patients get access to the same level of high-quality treatment while they are in our care.

“We have strong relationships with all of our partners in health and social care across Hampshire and I’m excited by the opportunities we have to work together to ensure the best care for the people of Hampshire, now and in the long term.”

The Trust has around 6,000 staff and a turnover of £423million a year.