The Medway NHS Foundation Trust has a new chief executive.

Jayne Black has served as interim chief executive since Dr George Findlay left the trust at the end of May. Following an external recruitment process, her appointment has now been made permanent.

The trust said that Mrs Black, a nurse by background, had extensive leadership experience in acute, community and the wider healthcare system from a variety of roles, including director of operations, deputy chief executive and chief operating officer.

She has led improvement programmes in other hospitals, including the Patient First system, which has recently been introduced at Medway to drive the transformation of services.

The trust's chairman Jo Palmer, said: "Jayne’s experience as a clinician, as a visible leader within high performing trusts, and as a Patient First champion, will ensure that we are able to maintain the momentum we have built up in transforming the care we provide. This is excellent news for patients and our local community, as well as for colleagues.”

Dr Findlay was only in post a year. Though his appointment was always intended as an interim one, it had initially been expected to last 18 months.

He was brought in after the Medway Maritime Hospital accident and emergency service was rated Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Mr Findlay had a record of previously leading a Sussex NHS Trust out of special measures.

In February, the CQC re-inspected the Medway hospital's accident and emergency service and noted significant improvements, leading to a Good rating.

However, it said that the service still did not always have enough nursing staff on duty. Inspectors reported patients were queuing outside to be booked in during poor weather conditions, with some waiting 40 minutes. The commission said there "continued to be poor flow of patients out of the department."

Other areas of the hospital's services are still failing.

It is rated as Requires Improvement for medical care (including older people’s care), and for services for children and young people, and for diagnostic imaging.

However its critical care service is rated Outstanding and its end-of-life care is Good as is maternity and gynaecology, and its outpatients service.

Urgent and emergency services were also rated Good at their last inspection.

But surgery also Requires Improvement, which means that overall the hospital is still rated as Requires Improvement.

Dr Findlay has since rejoined his former employers at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.

Trust bosses said that despite his short time in the post, Dr Findlay had "made a huge impact."