THE Gobowen Orthopaedic Hospital has a new pair of hands at the top in the form of a new non-executive director and associate non-executive director.

Experienced chartered accountants Alison Tumilty and Sarfraz Nawaz will be joining the board of directors RJAH, taking up the aforementioned roles.

Alison, who is chairman at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing and has previously held non-executive director roles in healthcare, will replace David Gilburt, who has completed the maximum two full terms of office.

Alison said she was delighted with the opportunity.

"I'm delighted to have been given the opportunity to join the board of directors at RJAH," she said.

"The Trust has a strong reputation for providing high quality services and I'm looking forward to meeting the staff to work together to support the delivery of world class patient care and to make the Trust a fantastic place to work where staff can flourish."

Sarfraz meanwhile is the director of finance and procurement for Ofwat, the regulator for the water industry in England and Wales.

He has also held several financial leadership roles across the public sector including the NHS and Coventry City Council.

He said: "I am greatly looking forward to joining the terrific team at RJAH and contributing to the fantastic care they provide to their patients.

"This past year has only served to emphasise how important the NHS is to all of us, and I am committed to listening and collaborating with stakeholders to collectively work together to meet the needs of the communities we serve."

Both Alison and Sarfraz will join the Board of Directors in the autumn.

Frank Collins, Trust chairman, added: "I'm delighted to be welcoming Alison and Sarfraz to the Trust following an extensive recruitment process.

"Their exemplary backgrounds will bring us a fresh perspective.

"They were both outstanding candidates in an extremely strong field and we're thrilled they accepted our invitation to join us.

"We have a well-balanced group of non-executive directors who each offer something unique and ensures there will be the appropriate scrutiny of the decisions taken by the executive team – something that will only benefit our patients."