We are delighted to announce that following a thorough and competitive recruitment process, Dr Mark Roland has been appointed as the new Chief Medical Officer at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals and is due to join the Trust in December.
Mark is a Respiratory Consultant with an interest in lung cancer and end of life care. He has worked at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust since 2004 and became Deputy Medical Director in 2019. He spent his early consultant career at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital. Mark has held a variety of clinical leadership roles during his time in Portsmouth including Respiratory Clinical Director, Director of Cancer Services, Clinical Lead for End of Life Care, and the Chief of Service for the Medicine Clinical Service Centre. He became an Associate Medical Director (Operations) in 2017. In 2023 Mark enjoyed a six-month period as Acting Medical Director for the Trust.
In addition to his work within Portsmouth Hospitals, Mark has also held a number of system level roles including Urgent and Emergency Care Clinical Lead for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) and Darzi Clinical Lead for End of Life Care for the South Central Strategic Health Authority.
On accepting the role Mark says: "I am thrilled to have been appointed as Chief Medical Officer for Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals and am looking forward to meeting and working with its dedicated staff to support the delivery of high-quality care for our patients."
Katie Fisher, Interim Chief Executive at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals says: “I am really pleased to have Mark join the Board as our Chief Medical Officer. Mark brings a wealth of experience and is passionate about patient care, and supporting the colleagues he works with. I know he will provide excellent insight and leadership to the Trust.
“I would like to thank Dr David Fluck, current Medical Director, who leaves in October, for his incredible and long-standing service to the Trust and to our patients. He has been a huge advocate for education and research and will be greatly missed by colleagues.”
Dr Melanie Irvin-Sellers has been appointed as Interim Chief Medical Officer to take over when Dr David Fluck leaves to cover this role until Mark joins the Trust later this year. Melanie has worked at the Trust for several years and is an incredible clinician and compassionate leader. After joining in 2012 as a Consultant Respiratory Physician, Melanie has undertaken leadership positions including joint Divisional Director for Medicine and Emergency Services, and Divisional Director for Emergency Care. Melanie was an integral part of the team during the pandemic, overseeing and administering patient care to some of our most vulnerable patients and providing dedicated support to members of our team during what was an incredibly difficult time. Melanie took on the role of Medical Director at Sam Beare and Woking Hospice in November 2021 before returning to Ashford and St Peter’s.
Katie added: “Melanie has incredibly high professional standards and is passionate about putting patients and staff at the forefront of everything she does – I know she will do a fantastic job over the coming months.”
