The new medical director of Ipswich Hospital has pledged to keep patient safety at the forefront while finding innovative ways to care for an aging population with complex health needs.

Ipswich Star: Crawford Jamieson is Ipswich Hospital's new medical director. Picture: PAGEPIXCrawford Jamieson is Ipswich Hospital's new medical director. Picture: PAGEPIX (Image: Pagepix Ltd.07976 935738)

Crawford Jamieson, who has been a consultant gastroenterologist at Ipswich since March 2016, took up his new role on Monday, July 31.

Equipped with almost 30 years of NHS experience, Dr Jamieson has worked in various London hospitals as well as at the James Paget, in Gorleston, and the Norfolk and Norwich, where he went onto hold the post of associate medical director.

Dr Jamieson hopes to use his fresh position to create ‘seamless’ ties between health and social care services in the area.

While continuing to see a small number of outpatients, Dr Jamieson also plans to spend time alongside clinical colleagues across Ipswich and its partner Colchester Hospital to find out more about the challenges they face on the frontline.

“It’s a huge privilege to be given this role,” said Dr Jamieson, whose wife is a care of the elderly consultant at Ipswich. “It is a very exciting time for us as we have the opportunity to truly join up care pathways and provide seamless health and social care services for local people, which is something lots of people in the NHS have wanted to see happen for some time.

“My overwhelming priority will always be patient safety, which ties in closely with our ambition to become one of the safest hospitals in the UK. Our primary thoughts at all times should be around keeping our patients safe and making sure they get the best possible outcomes.

“I also want to capitalise on the great opportunities we have to work more closely as a system to improve quality and deliver more effective healthcare which keeps patients out of hospital wherever possible. As part of this work I will be engaging with my clinical colleagues at both Ipswich and Colchester to see how we can work together to improve healthcare in east Suffolk and north Essex.

“At the same time, our population is aging and is has increasingly complex healthcare needs. Our challenge is to collaborate with our health and care colleagues and our patients to find innovative new ways of working so that we can improve our services and help people enjoy a better quality of life.”