A TROUBLED ambulance trust has appointed a new permanent chairman.

Richard Foster will join South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) at the end of the month.

He will replace interim chairman Sir Peter Dixon who has been in post for the past 12 months.

Sir Peter stepped in after his predecessor Tony Thorne resigned in the wake of a scandal over a controversial pilot scheme at the trust, which delayed sending help for some calls.

An independent review into the scheme said failings in how the trust was run led to the "high risk" project.

The pilot did not have approval from board members, the 111 NHS helpline or commissioners.

Up to 20,000 patients had their ambulances delayed. Mr Foster, who has lived with his family in Kent and Surrey for more than 25 years, has held senior positions in the public and voluntary sectors.

His career has seen him serve as chairman, chief executive, trustee and executive and non-executive directors of a variety of large, complex, public, voluntary and private sector bodies.

This included the Crown Prosecution Service, the former Department of Employment and the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Secamb lead governor Brian Rockell said: “I am pleased the council of governors has been able to appoint a person with the experience we need to this important position."

Mr Foster said: I know the trust has been through difficult times recently.

"However I am equally confident that by working together, and by keeping patient need and patient care at the heart of everything we do, we can restore public trust and confidence by delivering what we all want, the best possible public service."

The trust's new chief executive Daren Mochrie, joins the trust in April.

He replaces interim chief executive Geraint Davies, who left earlier this month.

Mr Davies stepped in when former chief executive Paul Sutton left the trust following the NHS 111 calls scandal.