THE man who played a key role in planning the closure of Orsett Hospital is settling into the first week of his new job - running the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

He will be the eighth chief executive in 15 years of the country's worst performing NHS trust.

Tom Abell was deputy chief executive of the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and before that a senior figure in the management of Basildon and Thurrock Hospital Trust who championed the cause for Orsett's closure.

Described as the 'chief transformation officer', he was a prominent advocate of the closure and replacement of the much-loved Thurrock facility with integrated medical centres spread across he borough and represented the Trust at many public consultation and other public meetings.

He has now taken up the role of chief executive of the region's ambulance service which has been highly criticised over recent years for failings across a range of performance indicators. Health watchers say Mr Abell, a qualified accountant and a specialist in IT, who has 14 years' experience in a variety of NHS management roles, faces a challenging task.

Experts say uppermost on his "to do" list will be

• Get the service out of the special measures, a sanction imposed by the Care Quality Commission in 2020 after inspectors highlighted concerns raised by staff about sexual harassment, bullying and other inappropriate behaviour.
• Ensure the trust does not breach the legal agreement it signed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace after a CQC inspection showed that it had breached the Equality Act 2010.

•Remove the recent ban imposed on it from providing apprentice training after OFSTED inspectors reported "inappropriate behaviour".

Mr Abell said: "I am honoured to have joined EEAST as chief executive and am proud to be working for the Trust that serves my family and friends across the East of England. I am looking forward to working closely with our people, stakeholders and partners to further develop and improve the services we provide.

"I recognise that we have some major problems that we need to tackle – particularly how our people treat each other. We have too many examples of poor behaviour and it must be brought to an end. Let me formally underline my commitment to turn this around.

"We also need to keep working with our communities and partners to create a modern ambulance service which is fit for the 21st century. I look forward to continuing to build on the good work which is already underway.

"Although we have many challenges, including how we respond to the incredible demand we are seeing for our services, I truly believe we have the opportunity to make our own future. By working together with partners, we can be bolder and stronger."

Nicola Scrivings, Chair of the ambulance trust , said: "I am delighted to welcome Tom to the Trust. With substantial NHS leadership experience in acute, mental health and commissioning, Tom brings a wealth of expertise to the position of CEO along with the experience and drive to deliver real improvements for our patients and staff."