Teresa Cope, who has more than 30 years’ experience in healthcare, has been appointed as the first chief executive of Manx Care.

Ms Cope has said she and her family ’look forward to moving to the Isle of Man in the New Year’.

Manx Care has been designed to operate at arm’s-length from the Department of Health and Social Care, which will remain responsible for setting policy and strategy.

The new body will operate in shadow form from next January and is due to go live in April 2021, marking the start of a new era in the provision of integrated, responsive and efficient health and care services for the island’s population.

Ms Cope has a clinical background, starting as a radiographer and going on to lecture in the discipline at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

She subsequently moved into management and has held director level positions at health trusts in the UK for the past eight years, spanning acute hospitals, mental health, community and primary care services.

She will step down from her role as chief operating officer at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to join Manx Care.

Ms Cope said: ’I am looking forward to meeting staff colleagues, partner organisations and the wider community and continuing to take forward Sir Jonathan Michael’s recommendations to deliver the highest quality, sustainable health and care services for the population.’

Her appointment has been welcomed by Health and Social Care Minister David Ashford who said Manx Care has found ’a professional with the skills to lead a ground-breaking organisation and the determination to make it a success.’

He added: ’Our aspirations for improved health and care services are invested in Manx Care, so it needs a leader ready to take on a substantial challenge.

’The chief executive will be in day-to-day charge of Manx Care as the new era begins, and I know Teresa is looking forward to being in the thick of it, leading from the front and engaging with our committed staff.

’We have high expectations, but I am confident Teresa’s fresh, energetic approach will bring the change and improvement we all want.’