Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust have announced the departure of their interim chief executive, Keith Thomson, who is leaving at the end of December following completion of his interim period. To build on successes already achieved and ensure business continuity, he will continue to support the Trust Board in an advisory capacity. Mr. Thomson will be replaced by acting chief executive Caroline Oakley, who has been director of nursing and quality at the Trust for 16 months. Mrs Oakley brings a wealth of experience in both nursing and clinical governance to the role, having been the nurse director for Pembrokeshire Local Health Board and a senior nurse manager in a number of roles in Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust. Said Mrs. Oakley: "This is a very important role and I am pleased to have the opportunity to take up the post at what is a very exciting, and challenging, period of change for healthcare, not only in this area, but across Wales and the UK. There is no doubt that healthcare services have to modernise to keep pace with our changing world and part of my role will be to encourage health professionals across our counties to work together to shape that change in order to best meet the future care needs of our patients." Mr. Thomson, who joined the Trust on a short-term basis in April of this year, added: "Although my appointment was temporary, I am very proud of the progress that has been made in what has been a very high profile year. "This work has resulted in a number of major steps forward, such as the opening of the new Tenby Cottage Hospital, the redesign of South Pembrokeshire Hospital and the announcement of new A&E and MRI scanner facilities at Withybush Hospital. "The Trust has also been named as one of the top six in Wales in the CHKS benchmarking awards, has won a number of prestigious awards and received a pleasing report from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. "Mrs Oakley is well qualified to drive this work forward in the future and I am sure she will continue to do so with the support of a dedicated workforce who have been unwavering in the commitment to their work at this very challenging time."