A RICKMANSWORTH resident whose son is in desperate need of a lung transplant will help shape the future of a new NHS foundation trust after being elected to represent the concerns of patient carers.

Adrian Lepper, 66, of Green Hills Close, has been going to the Royal Brompton Hospital for 20 years with his son, who has cystic fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant at Harefield Hospital.

He was elected to the governor's council of the proposed Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust after more than 3,000 trust members voted earlier this month.

Mr Lepper said: "My son has been waiting for two years for a transplant. We have been going with him to outpatients treatment clinics for years and this has obviously developed our interest in the two hospitals."

The governor's council will aim to represent the views of foundation trust members, hold directors to account, and give advice on the trust's future.

Foundation trust project director Robert Craig said: "The elected governors will help shape the future of both of our hospitals and help us to continue to set the pace in heart and lung research and treatment, benefiting patients now and in the future."