ROYAL Surrey County Hospital has appointed a new chief executive.

Paula Head takes over at the Guildford-based hospital which serves south-west Surrey from Peter Dunt, who took on the position on an interim basis following the departure of former chief executive Nick Moberly.

“I joined the trust in December 2010 as chairman of the board and I have come to admire greatly the high degree of professionalism, the camaraderie and the commitment of all those I have come into contact with at Royal Surrey,” said Peter.

“The last few years have been particularly challenging for the NHS but I believe that we have the best health system in the world, with the best people working in it.

“It is therefore with great confidence that I hand over leadership of this fantastic trust to a proven leader in Paula and I wish her and all of you well.”

Hospital chairman John Denning thanked Peter for his hard work and tireless commitment to helping the Royal Surrey be the best that it can be, adding that Peter will “certainly be missed”.

Paula said: “I have had the opportunity to meet with both Peter and John before I started and I am really excited about taking over the reins for the Royal Surrey.

“My key priorities over the next few months will be to get to know and work with the staff to maintain the commitment to our patients for safe and effective care, while at the same time continuing with the good work that is already under way as part of the trust’s turnaround programme.

“I will also be working with the team at Royal Surrey to not just turnaround the organisation, but to transform the way we work so that we can ensure a stable financial base and achieve operational excellence.”