A NEW health chief has laid out his vision of modernising local services.

Peter Innes has been appointed as chairman of Derwentside Primary Care Trust (PCT) and having taken up the £16,000 role a week ago, he has already identified several areas of health care he wants to target.

"What we have to achieve is to keep services going for existing patients, but try and modernise and improve services for the future," he said.

"I am very interested in health promotions, particularly in trying to instil those ideas in young people. That will give them the best possible start in life and, hopefully, they can continue that throughout their lives.

"The other target would be to try and make sure that, when people do need treatment, it is the right treatment for them and as convenient as possible.

"If they can be treated near home, or in the home, rather than having to travel for treatment, that will be something very useful."

Mr Innes will join the PCT from the North-East Ambulance Service NHS Trust, where he was chairman since 1999. He led the trust through a merger of Northumbria and County Durham ambulance services and saw the new service achieve three-star status in the Government ratings.

"The PCT is much more grass roots-based. It is about improving health services on a local level and that is what I find interesting," he said.

One issue close to home is the angry reaction to threats to close the GP surgery in his village of Lanchester, near Consett, County Durham. The possible closure would affect more than 1,000 patients.

"Anything that affects health services in the village will be of particular interest, but it is no more important than services elsewhere in Derwentside," he said.

He takes over the three-day a week post from ex-Labour Durham county councillor Keith Murray-Hetherington.

Mr Murray-Hetherington stepped down from the trust and the local authority, after it emerged he had attended only eight out of a possible 78 council meetings in two years, while still claiming his basic councillor's monthly allowance.