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picture-046The Chairman of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), Tony Jones, has announced his retirement from the Trust after serving two full terms as Chairman.

Mr Jones joined the Trust in 2008 and has overseen huge improvements in both quality and safety during his eight years as Chairman.

The Trust had one of the worst infection rates in the country when Mr Jones started, and now has one of the best with very low instances of hospital acquired infections.

In a message to staff at MTW, Chairman Tony Jones said: “I am writing to let you know that I will be retiring as Chairman of the Trust Board at the end of this year or soon thereafter. This is because I have served two full terms as Chairman, for the last eight years, and it is usual practice within the NHS to change at this point. There will therefore be an open competition for the post with the expectation that an appointment will be made in the first quarter of 2017.

I am sorry to be leaving because I believe that the Trust has progressed greatly since the problems of eight years ago, and will continue to go from strength to strength. Most importantly I believe that, for all the challenges from increasing demand, the Trust continues to offer an excellent service to its patients and to the local population.

This is the result of the efforts of all the people at the Trust who care deeply about patients and their families. This is true whether you refer to our front-line clinical services where our many excellent clinical staff offer first class treatment, or to the many areas who support those services, without whom they could not function. I should also mention the first class Executive Team in the Trust, and the other members of the Board, with whom it has been a pleasure to work.

So thank you very much for your help, and the very best wishes for the future.”

Glenn Douglas, Chief Executive, said: “Tony joined the Trust in 2008 when it was quite literally at its lowest ebb. At the time, his mission was to prove that MTW could once again become a Trust that everyone can take pride in.

“In the intervening years, he has done this and a great deal more. Tony is the first to admit that the achievements we have seen in many areas of care are as a consequence of a huge amount of hard work by our staff.”
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