Leaving Middle Earth, or Halton at least....
At the end
of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in the book The Return Of The
King, Frodo departs for the Undying Lands in the
West with Gandalf, Bilbo
Baggins, and many Elves. Gandalf,
Elrond, and Galadriel all carry with them the Three Eleven Rings out of
Middle-Earth. With their departure, the Third
Age ended.
Three of our "ring bearers" will be leaving Halton at the
end of March, taking with them (like the Elves) years of experience and wisdom
in the NHS (not like the Elves). We are saying goodbye to three NHS heroes,
three legends in their field who have well over 100 years of service between
them. Dr Cliff Richards MBE is retiring as our Chair, Jan Snoddon is stepping
down as Chief Nurse and Paul Brickwood is also retiring as our Chief Finance
Officer.
It has been a pleasure to work with three people who are
absolutely committed to the NHS, to getting the best for patients and who are
hugely talented and respected in their own professional field. They are being
replaced by three highly capable and talented individuals - Dr David Lyon,
Michelle Creed and David Cooper - each of whom will bring their own take on life
and on the role they will fill. So, as with the end of The Return Of The
King, there is an emotional ending but the future is bright and
safe.
Simon Banks
