IC24 Chief Executive Dr Andrew Catto has been appointed to join the Board of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) as a Non-Executive Director.

Andrew, who lives in Ashford, has been a consultant physician for 15 years in general, geriatric and stroke medicine and has served on acute hospitals boards as Medical Director, Interim CEO and Deputy CEO. He is also a member of the East Kent Health and Care Partnership Board and Chair of its Digital Innovation Group.

Andrew will continue in his role as CEO of IC24 as well as undertaking his Non-Executive Director duties with EKHUFT.

Dr Catto said: ‘Primary, secondary and social care are working closer together than ever before to improve the care we are able to give to our patients, especially in east Kent, so it is a great pleasure to be joining the Board of East Kent Hospitals.’

Niall Dickson CBE, who chairs the East Kent Hospitals Trust, said: ‘I am so pleased Andrew is joining our Board. He is a highly respected clinician with a wide experience of the NHS. He is unusual in having a deep knowledge and awareness of community and primary care as well as having held senior roles within the acute sector.

‘Andrew will chair our Quality and Safety Committee, one of the key functions within our governance which oversees the care we are providing and the improvements we are making. Andrew’s clinical knowledge, his wide management experience and his understanding of how, as a Board, we support and hold to account our clinical and managerial colleagues, will all be so important as we constantly seek to improve the care we provide.’

Andrew joins the EKHUFT Board on 1 November this year.