A new chief operating officer has been appointed to the board of NHS Dorset.

NHS Dorset has announced the appointment of Dr Sean Spencer as Chief Operating Officer Designate of the board.

Dean joined the NHS in 1992 as a management trainee in Nottingham after completing a PhD in Mathematical Sciences at Loughborough University. Dean’s early career was in Nottingham where he first became a director of one of the Primary Care Trusts. After that he moved to a Board position in a Foundation Trust in Yorkshire before moving to regional and national roles with the Trust Development Authority and NHS Improvement.

Dean joins the Dorset board from NHS England and NHS improvement. During Covid-19, he was the South West Incident Director and Director of the Vaccine Programme.

Dr Spencer said: “I am delighted to be appointed as the Chief Operating Officer for NHS Dorset so that we can provide the best possible services for the people of Dorset. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for some to get physical and mental health services as quickly as they need. With health and social care working together with the people in their local communities I am looking forward to working to improve the health of people in Dorset and reducing inequalities.”