Meet our new Chief Medical Officer
Today, Wednesday 22 February 2023, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT) announces the appointment of Dr Vanessa Purday as its new Chief Medical Officer (CMO).
Dr Purday is a practising Consultant Anaesthetist with a special interest in intensive care and joins LGT from East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust on 1 June 2023.
With almost 30 years’ experience working in the NHS, Dr Purday has covered both emergency and elective pathways and will continue to work clinically one day a week at LGT. At East Kent Hospitals, Dr Purday currently holds the positions of Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Interim Medical Director for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, and has previously held a number of leadership roles, including Clinical Director for Surgery and Anaesthetics and Medical Director leading the Covid Recovery programme.
Commenting on her appointment, Ben Travis, CEO of our Trust said: “In an exceptionally strong field, Dr Purday was the standout candidate. She has exactly the right combination of professional excellence, leadership experience and empathy needed to carry out this vital role at our Trust. We are thrilled to have secured her as our new CMO and delighted that she will continue to be clinically active in our busy anaesthetist department alongside her new role.”
Dr Purday also commented: “Delivering high quality, compassionate care for patients has been the cornerstone of my career to date; a goal that is shared by the team at Lewisham and Greenwich and first attracted me to the CMO position. I have learned so much at East Kent and can’t wait to utilise my experience when I join LGT later this year.”
Dr Mehool Patel, who has been acting CMO since December 2022, will continue in the role until Dr Purday joijns in June. Ben Travis added: “On behalf of the Trust, I would like to thank Dr Patel for the excellent work he continues to do as our acting CMO. The Trust is in very safe hands until Dr Purday joins us here and I know that Dr Patel is looking forward to working alongside her when he returns to his full-time role as Deputy Medical Director for Workforce and Engagement.”