New chief executive for East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) has announced that Robert Morton has been appointed as its new chief executive.

Morton, a paramedic and a community first responder, has worked in the ambulance service for nearly 25 years, predominantly with the National Ambulance Service in Ireland where he eventually became chief executive for three years. He then went on to be chief executive of the South Australian Ambulance Service.

Morton said: ‘I am thrilled to be the new chief executive and very much look forward to working with my new EEAST colleagues. The service has been through some very difficult and challenging times over the last few years, but I am confident we can build on the good work that Anthony Marsh has put in place to further improve our services for patients and at the same time make this a even better place to work.’

Morton added: ‘Having worked in the ambulance service for many, many years I understand the challenges and issues and how we can resolve them together. Whilst it is not going to be easy, I know first-hand the commitment and dedication of those working in the ambulance service and that together we can make a real difference for patients.’

Trust chair, Sarah Boulton, said: ‘I am delighted Robert is going to lead our Trust as we look to make further improvements to the service we give to patients. Robert is an experienced ambulance chief executive who will be able to connect immediately with frontline staff and volunteers thanks to his paramedic and volunteering background.’

Boulton continued: ‘I would like to pay special thanks to Anthony who has worked tirelessly to rebuild the service since last January. Thanks to this work, we are now in a position to take the next steps on our journey, building a better service for patients and staff.’

Morton will take up the chief executive post on 24 August.

Taken from Journal of Paramedic Practice, published 19 August 2015.