THE health of Hertfordshire's 1.04 million people and £1.7 billion in NHS funds is in fresh hands.
Dr Jane Halpin, formerly Hertfordshire's director of public health, as been appointed as chief executive of NHS Hertfordshire in succession to Anne Walker, who has moved to Surrey.
Dr Halpin, who will be based in Charter House, Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, said: “I am pleased to have taken on this role in the midst of a very challenging time for the NHS.
"The Government’s recent white paper heralded large scale changes for the NHS.
"The changes aim to make sure the health service is really focused on helping people keep fit and well, puts patients and doctors at the heart of decision-making and looks to give patients excellent quality care.
"It will also make changes to the way the NHS is organised to make best use of precious resources.
"The NHS will have to make sure that it is working as efficiently as it can, so our priority has to be making sure patients are treated in the right place – for many people this will be outside of major hospitals."
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