THE boss of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has announced he will be leaving his post next year.

Chris Bown, who joined the hospital in April 2010, will remain in the job until a new chief executive is appointed and the search for his replacement will begin immediately.

He said: “I am extremely proud of Poole Hospital and its remarkable staff, who work tirelessly to give our patients the very best care.

“However, I have made this decision in order to give a new chief executive the opportunity to lead the organisation through its next period of development, now that the proposed merger has been prohibited.”

Poole trust chairman Angela Schofield added: “Chris’s leadership, energy, hard work and commitment to patients have been a driving force in ensuring that Poole remains a hospital focused on quality of care.

“We will now begin the search for a new chief executive who can maintain the excellent standard of leadership that Chris has set and support us as we move forward in a new direction.”