FOLLOWING the retirement of Dr. Peter Jackson, the Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust has appointed Dr. Charles Merrill as medical director of Acute and cCommunity services. Dr. Merrill joined the Trust in 2004 as a consultant in Accident and Emergency, a post he will continue alongside his part-time medical director role. He was born in San Diego, California, and pursued his medical career in Canada before moving to the UK. He has gained a wealth of healthcare experience both in this country and in North America, and worked as Accident and Emergency consultant at Hillingdon Hospital, Middlesex, for several years before moving to Pembrokeshire. Dr. Merrill and his wife have settled in Fishguard, fulfiling their ambition to be near the sea. They have visited the area on holiday several times and are looking forward to exploring more of the Coast Path and getting to know more about Pembrokeshire and its people. Dr. Merrill said: "We have been made to feel very welcome by our new neighbours and staff at the Trust. We have begun to discover some of what Pembrokeshire has to offer and look forward to discovering more in the years to come. While it has taken a bit of time to 'come down' after the pace of London, we feel we are now on 'Pembrokeshire time' and are enjoying that." Of his role as medical director, Dr. Merrill hopes he can bring something helpful to the Trust from his past experiences, and from his interest in bringing managerial and clinical work together. He said: "A lot of the issues facing the NHS are the same here as in other places, but there are clearly some very important local issues as well. As medical director, I am in a position to address some of those issues. I hope I can someday look back and say that I did help this Trust and the people it cares for."
