New boss confirmed for NHS healthcare trust
A new chief executive has been announced at a health trust where the current boss is stepping down after more than 37 years in the NHS.
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) said Andrew Hines would take over in the autumn.
He currently works at Barts Health NHS Trust in London as executive director for group development.
Angela Stevenson, who started her career as a student nurse in Glasgow in 1988, retires in August.
Trust chairperson Anita Donley said she was pleased to be announcing Mr Hines as the next chief executive.
"I know he will bring energy, commitment and dedication to this role, and his experience will be instrumental in leading the trust forward into the next stage of its journey as an acute provider," she added.
Mr Hines said he was delighted and proud to be taking up the role.
He added: "The trust provides vital services to a growing population across east Surrey and west Sussex.
"I'm looking forward to working with its fantastic staff and building on relationships with partner organisations."
The trust was formed in 1998, as a result of a merger between the East Surrey Healthcare NHS Trust and Crawley Horsham NHS Trust.
It runs Crawley, Horsham, Caterham Dene and East Surrey hospitals.
Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Hospital chief retiring after 37 years in NHS
Thousands to benefit from new NHS hub
Frailty unit cuts down hospital stays for elderly
Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ADHD drugs back in the spotlight after study debunks rising prevalence
An increasing number of patients are seeking support for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with pharmacological-based treatments an important part of medical care for the neurodevelopmental condition. A study published this week in the Journal of Affective Disorders has found that greater awareness and acceptance around the disorder has led to more people seeking help. The research, led by a team at King's College, London, debunks claims that the disorder is 'naturally' on the rise. The data comes as a national taskforce in England investigates what this rising demand for support means for the NHS. Figures published in May 2025 by NHS England estimated there were nearly 2.5 million people in England with ADHD. This includes more than 550,000 currently waiting for an assessment. Every month 20,000 more people are referred for support, a rise of 13% compared to last year. Pharmaceutical Technology looks at some of the current options in the UK and casts an eye ahead to what the future drug landscape might contain. The first choice for patients with ADHD is methylphenidate, which belongs to a class of drugs called central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. The drug, which works by blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine, increases activity in the brain, including regions associated with attention and behaviour. It is known under the brand names Ritalin, manufactured by Novartis, and Johnson and Johnson's Concerta. There is also Equasym and Xenidate, among others. Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate is also used to treat patients with ADHD. Like methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine is a CNS stimulant and acts as a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). This drug is known under the brand name, among others, as Elvanse and Vyvanse, both manufactured by Takeda. While stimulants are fast acting, with side effects felt soon after administration, non-stimulant drugs take longer, yet can offer an alternative if drugs like methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine dimesylate do not work. While improving, access to pharmacological-based treatments is still impaired amid an ongoing global shortage that began in September 2023. Methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine were primarily affected – the shortage arising due to a combination of manufacturing issues and increased global demand. A separate study published in The American Journal of Managed Care in March suggested that overdiagnosis of ADHD is fuelling the shortage of stimulation medications. One of the most advanced candidate drugs, and one with notable buzz surrounding it, is Axsome's Sunosi (solriamfetol). Sunosi, which is also an NDRI but not a conventional stimulant, met its primary endpoint in a Phase III trial (NCT05972044) earlier this year. The medication led to a 45% drop in ADHD symptoms. As measured by the Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS), 150mg Sunosi dosed achieved average reductions from baseline of 17.7 points, compared to 14.3 points for placebo. Sunosi is already approved in the UK to treat excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in adults with narcolepsy, with or without cataplexy. Certain patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are also eligible to take the medication. In 2022, Axsome paid $53m up front to acquire Sunosi from Jazz Pharmaceuticals. A drug with a recent approval extension in the US, though not the UK, was Supernus Pharmaceuticals' Qelbree (viloxazine extended-release capsules). The mechanism of action of Qelbree, though unclear, is thought to be through inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine. Originally approved for children in 2021, the FDA updated the drug's label in January this year to include adults. ADHD treatments were in the political crosshairs in the US recently. The disorder, along with autism, was singled out by the Trump administration for an 'over-utilisation of medication'. Pharmaceutical intervention remains a helpful part of managing the disorder, though it is part of a combination of treatments that also include coaching and lifestyle changes. "ADHD drugs back in the spotlight after study debunks rising prevalence" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Women on blockbuster weight loss drugs warned to use effective contraception
Pregnant women should not take weight loss drugs, the UK's medicines regulator warned amid concerns that people are using the so-called 'skinny jabs' in unsafe ways. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also said women should not take weight loss drugs if they are breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant, because there isn't enough safety data to know whether the medicine could affect their baby. 'Anyone who gets pregnant while using them should speak to their healthcare professional and stop the medicine as soon as possible,' the agency said. Meanwhile, all women taking the jabs should ensure they are using a form of contraception that works, the MHRA said. Related Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy could help serious liver condition that has no cure-all treatment One of the drugs, Mounjaro, may make birth control pills less effective, so the agency says women taking the jab should also use a non-oral form of contraception, like an implant or intrauterine device (IUD). 'Obesity reduces fertility in women. So, women with obesity taking GLP-1 drugs are more likely to get pregnant than before they lost weight,' Dr Channa Jayasena, a reproductive endocrinology researcher at Imperial College London, said in a statement. 'Women are advised to do all they can to prevent pregnancy while taking [these] drugs,' Jayasena added. Related France won't pay for weight loss drug Wegovy. What about other European countries? In the UK, women already receive these warnings when they get their prescriptions for the blockbuster jabs, which include Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, and Victoza as well as Mounjaro. The drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by mimicking hormones that help regulate appetites and make people feel full for longer. They have been approved to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. Related Why are 1 in 10 French women still smoking during pregnancy despite the health risks? But the MHRA issued the reminder Thursday due to concerns that the drugs' growing popularity means women are buying them illegally online or at beauty salons, without seeing a doctor. 'Skinny jabs are medicines licensed to treat specific medical conditions and should not be used as aesthetic or cosmetic treatments,' Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, said in a statement. 'They are not a quick fix to lose weight and have not been assessed to be safe when used in this way,' she added.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Midwife struck off after claiming vaccines ‘attacked babies' on social media
A midwife has been struck off the register after posting claims on social media that vaccinations attacked babies while in their mother's womb during pregnancy. Seana Mary Kerr, of Newry, Northern Ireland, also told a pregnant woman in a shop that she should not be wearing a face mask during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) tribunal panel judgment. Ms Kerr, who had been a registered midwife since 2007, was found by a panel to have placed the woman at 'significant risk of harm' with her views, while she had 'risked seriously undermining the public confidence' in her profession at a crucial time with her posts. In the first of three social media posts in September 2020, Ms Kerr said that babies were being attacked in the womb through vaccination of mothers during pregnancy. Then, in March 2021, she claimed healthcare professionals were being 'complicit' in the national response to Covid-19, and that the health crisis was 'a Trojan horse intend[ed] to introduce a new era for humanity'. A further post in December that year made reference to how a group of people, described as 'they', had been 'planting the seeds' about Covid-19 over Christmas 2020 by referring to 'some bat in China'. Ms Kerr's advice and social media comments were given when she had identified herself as a midwife and was 'promoting her opinion on matters of clinical importance', the panel found. 'The panel considered that the actions of Ms Kerr took place during an exceptionally unusual time, where the entirety of the NHS was mobilised to protect the public from the international Covid-19 pandemic,' they said. 'Therefore, by expressing the view that other healthcare professionals, who Ms Kerr was working with in the Trust, were acting in ways which may cause harm, a view Ms Kerr held which was against the recognised guidance at the time, Ms Kerr risked seriously undermining the public confidence in the profession. 'It further noted that by making these accusations that Ms Kerr's colleagues may have suffered harm while working in an unprecedented and challenging situation.' The midwife approached the pregnant woman in the shop, which was her place of work, during the other allegation in question in August 2020. She identified herself as a midwife before advising the woman that she should not be wearing the face mask as it reduced the amount of oxygen her baby was receiving. Ms Kerr went on to tell the woman that she should not receive a flu vaccination as this would increase the risk of her baby being stillborn. The panel found the pregnant woman and her family were caused 'significant emotional harm' as a result of Ms Kerr's behaviour. 'The panel noted that it is a reasonable expectation of everyone working in a public environment, such as a shop, that they will not be approached and given personal, clinical advice and that such advice would normally only be given during a private clinical appointment or at an antenatal class,' they said. 'Therefore, by approaching Patient A in her place of work, outside a clinical relationship, unsolicited, Ms Kerr placed her at significant risk of harm.' The panel found Ms Kerr's fitness to practise was still impaired and that there was a risk of the individual repeating her behaviour. Ms Kerr did not show any remorse for her misconduct or demonstrate any insight into her previous actions, and had not engaged with the NMC since June 2022, the panel said. It made an order to strike Ms Kerr's name from the register, after a 12-month suspension order had previously been imposed last year.
