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Press release: NHS Employers announces new appointments

18 Aug 2005

NHS Employers is pleased to announce the following appointments.

Dr Ashley Fraser is the new NHS Employers medical director. Dr Fraser is a consultant histopathologist and is on secondment from Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS Trust. For the past three years he has been seconded to the Modernisation Agency as joint director of the consultant contract implementation team. He is currently a member of the NHS Employers core negotiating team for the new contract for staff grade and associate specialist (SAS) doctors and will be representing a senior medical management view across a range of NHS Employers work programmes.

Professor Tony Butterworth CBE has been appointed as a part-time advisor on nursing and allied health professional issues. Professor Butterworth worked as a nurse for a number of years before establishing a research and teaching career in higher education in Manchester. He has a particular interest in mental health and the development of clinical academic careers. More recently he was chief executive of Trent Workforce Development Confederation before setting up the Centre for Clinical and Academic Workforce Innovation at Lincoln University.

Philip Grant is to be seconded from Selby and York PCT as director of finance for one year. Philip Grant will be providing a senior financial management view on a range of NHS Employers work programmes including the GMS contract and NHS pension reviews. He will also continue his role as chair of the NHS Employers formula review negotiating team.

Julian Topping has been appointed as Head of Workplace Health and Employment. He will be taking on responsibility for health and safety in the workplace, Improving Working Lives and childcare, plus staff regulation and safer recruitment. Julian Topping was previously Occupational Health and Safety Policy Lead at NHS Employers.

Notes for editors

1. NHS Employers, the employers' organisation for the NHS in England, was launched on 1 November 2004. Its work programme includes pay negotiations, health and safety, equality and diversity, recruitment and retention, the NHS Pension Scheme review, European and UK employment practice, safer recruitment and doctor disciplinary. It also delivers the NHS Careers service.
2. NHS Employers is part of the NHS Confederation but has its own director, policy board and assembly.

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Gemma Jeffcoate
  0207 074 3308 or gemma.jeffcoate@nhsemployers.org
• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

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