Consultant paediatrician appointed medical director of Pennine Acute Trust

Date published: 09/02/2006

A consultant paediatrician with more than 25 years in the NHS has been appointed as the medical director for the largest hospital Trust in the North West.

Dr Ruth Jameson has been announced as the medical director for Pennine Acute Trust, which runs Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, North Manchester General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and has services at Birch Hill Hospital.

Her clinical duties as a paediatrician at Booth Hall Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital have previously been combined with her role as an associate medical director for the Trust.

Dr Jameson, previously acting medical director for Pennine Acute Trust, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed to this role. This is an extremely interesting time to be working in the NHS, and there are many challenges facing Trusts and staff alike.

“As a Trust, our services are currently the subject of high-profile public consultations, which aim to ensure the provision of safe, sustainable, high quality services. I see it as absolutely essential to ensure that the voice of clinical staff, whatever their role, is heard in that debate.

“More broadly, I hope to ensure that same voice has a key role in all areas of our work. Everyone in the NHS is committed to the same thing – ensuring that patients receive the best possible treatment. To do that, we need to make the most of our key resource – our own staff.”

Having trained at Manchester University Medical School, Dr Jameson began work as a house officer at North Manchester General Hospital in 1978. Since then, her career has seen her work in paediatrics, obstetrics, neonatology and other specialities in hospitals across Manchester, as well as at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, and working as a registrar in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr Jameson’s first consultant role was in general paediatrics at Stockport’s Stepping Hill Hospital, where she became the clinical director for children’s services. She joined Pennine Acute Trust as a paediatric consultant in May 2002, and became associate medical director for the Trust’s women and children’s division in October 2002.

Her research interests have included children with renal failure and the impact on the psychological wellbeing of the child and their families.

Dr Jameson cites her key achievements as including “hearing a baby’s first cry when you’ve had a hand in the resuscitation, through to seeing young people leaving services and entering adulthood”.

She added: “My most tangible achievement has been with the team planning and delivering the creation of the Treehouse Children’s Unit at Stepping Hill. This integrated children’s services onto the one site and won the NHS Estates award for best patient-focused project.”

Recent developments at Pennine Acute Trust include ongoing elections to a new medical advisory committee, which will be chaired by Dr Jameson in her role as medical director. Dr Jameson has also overseen the introduction of a new monthly bulletin aimed at clinical staff, which has been jointly developed with the Trust’s director of nursing.

Having been born in Cape Town, and having spent her elective posting in Zambia, plus a year in Australia, Dr Jameson enjoys travelling extensively.

She added: “Iceland and the Galapagos were particularly stunning, while driving myself around Namibia was certainly a challenge requiring full concentration!”