New medical director for AWP (From Salisbury Journal)

New medical director for AWP

9:10am Wednesday 16th January 2013 in News By Morwenna Blake

AVON and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust has announced that Hayley Richards is to be its new medical director, succeeding Arden Tomison, who is retiring.

A member of the Royal College of Psychiatry, Dr Richards’ expertise includes both general psychiatry and old age psychiatry and she is currently AWP’s director of medical education and a consultant psychiatrist for older people.

Chief executive Iain Tulley said: “I am delighted that Hayley has accepted this role. We had a number of high calibre candidates and Hayley demonstrated to the interview panel that she had the skills, experience and insight to make a real contribution to strengthening clinical engagement within the trust. I am sure that through providing strong medical leadership, she will help AWP deliver its goal of high quality recovery focused services.”

Dr Richards said: “I am extremely pleased to accept this important role and the chance to work with Iain Tulley and the new senior management team. This is a time of great change for the NHS and for us in AWP and I look forward to working with colleagues to put quality and innovation at the heart of our services.”