THE Royal United Hospital in Bath has appointed a new chief executive.

The foundation trust in charge of the hospital welcomed Cara Charles-Barks to her first day in the role on Tuesday.

Cara was previously chief executive of the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust and now takes over from James Scott, who retired at the end of May after nearly 13 years as CEO of RUH.

She said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the team. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the organisation and to meet our fantastic staff.

"I have great hopes for the RUH and I’m really looking forward to a bright future, making us all proud to work here and to continue to care so well for our patients.

“The RUH is highly valued and regarded in the community and I intend to build on its position as a respected and progressive organisation.”

Trust chair Alison Ryan said: "We’re really pleased that Cara is joining us. She was CEO at Salisbury during the Novichok major incident in 2018 and guided the trust through the coronavirus pandemic. We’re sure she’ll lead the RUH with energy and enthusiasm in these continuing challenging and changing times."

Cara grew up in rural Australia and trained to be a nurse there. From registered nurse, she rose to positions of ward sister and nursing director. She then moved to the UK where she held director-level operational roles until her arrival at the Salisbury hospital in her first CEO role.