A NEW chief executive has been appointed to head the troubled Greater Manchester Ambulance Service.

John Burnside will replace current chief, Adrian Lucas, in June.

Mr Lucas has led the service for nine years, and is to take over the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Mr Burnside, aged 47, is chief executive of Kent Ambulance NHS Trust.

GMAS, the largest ambulance service outside London, with 1,130 staff, has been strongly criticised in recent months, with allegations of delays and communications failures.

Last year, Mr Lucas, in an exclusive interview with the BEN, pledged that staff training would be improved and communication systems updated.

But management has also come under fire from Bolton councillors, including Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, who accused them of making strategic decisions which put the public at risk.

Sunderland born Mr Burnside has been chief executive of the Kent service for five years and before that, he headed Cleveland Ambulance Service.

Mr Burnside worked in NHS management after graduating with an economics degree from Nottingham University.

He is currently chairman of the national ambulance working group on IT and communications and a member of the NHS accreditation board.

He was also the founding president of the British Association of Public Safety Communication Officers.

He said: "I have spent all my working life within the NHS and I am committed to its development.

"The NHS is undergoing rapid change and development which will bring real benefits to the patients.

"I see my role within GMAS as a challenging one which will enable me to put my commitment to the NHS into practice."

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