THE chief executive of the new East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has been appointed.

With nine years experience already as a chief executive, John Thomas, said he was "very privileged" to take on the role and used the appointment to promise a further improvement in services to people in East Lancashire.

The new Trust will be created by merging Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Trust with the Burnley Health Care NHS trust and will come into fruition in April 2003. It will be responsible for providing acute hospital services for 500,000 across East Lancashire.

Mr Thomas said: "The key priority for the new Trust is to use opportunities that the merger brings to further improve services in East Lancashire."

Mr Thomas has been working as Chief Executive of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care Trusts since 1993 and has worked in East Lancashire for 19 years.