New Acting Chair For Local Health Trust

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Peter Derrick aims to help NHS reforms work well

Peter Derrick has been appointed as the acting Chairman of the Sutton and Merton NHS Trust, replacing Kay Sonneborn, whose term of office was due to end later in 2010.

Mr Derrick (left) has been a Non Executive Director of the Trust and Chairman of the Trust’s Audit Committee since 1 April 2007. He is also a former Chamberlain of London (the Finance Director of the City of London).

He has served on a number of national bodies and task forces, mainly dealing with pensions’ issues, and has extensive experience of investment, property development and project management.

He was appointed acting Chairman on August 1, with the role to last for as long as it takes to recruit a new Chairman to the post.

He said: "I am delighted to be appointed as acting Chair of NHS Sutton and Merton. This takes place on the threshold of profound reforms in the way the NHS works. In Sutton and Merton, I believe we have the opportunity to build on the ground-breaking work we have already undertaken on developing shadow Integrated Care Organisations (ICOs), the energy, knowledge and insights of our local GPs and the skills and talent of our staff.

“We can achieve a great deal in helping GPs and our two local authorities design the way in which the reformed system will work. As Chair, it will be my aim to encourage this approach.”

A Trust spokeswoman added: "Kay Sonneborn’s third term of office as Chairman of Sutton and Merton PCT was due to come to an end later this year.  Kay believed it was appropriate to hand over the task of leading the Board to a successor who could give a longer timeframe to support the implementation of Clinical Commissioning, as envisaged in the recent NHS White Paper. Kay decided to end her term as Chairman of the PCT on 31 July 2010."

August 20, 2010