Samantha Jones will stand down as the chief executive of West Hertfordshire NHS Hospitals Trust next Friday.

She will become Director of New Models of Care for NHS England and will lead the implementation of changes to health and care services outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View.

The Forward View was published late last year and sets out a vision for the future of the NHS.

Jacqueline Kelly MBE has been appointed to lead the trust - which oversees Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead hospitals - on an interim basis.

Mrs Jones said: “I have enjoyed my time at the trust and will of course miss the team at Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans hospitals. 

“However, I know they will be in good hands with Jac and the rest of her executive and non-executive colleagues here.

“The Forward View is of fundamental importance to the NHS in England and there is much work to do to take it forward. The NHS is facing many challenges and we need to act quickly to address them.

“I have already met with Jac and will work closely with her to ensure she receives a full handover.”

Mrs Kelly, the former chief executive of Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, joins WHHT on Monday.

She was previously chief executive of the Somerset Health Authority before leading the former North Devon Primary Care Trust.

Mrs Kelly was awarded an MBE for services to healthcare in the Queen’s New Year Honours last week.

She said: “I look forward to working with the board, our nurses, doctors and staff, to further improve the care we provide.

“Working with our patients and staff, we recently launched six new values and each of them resonates very clearly with me, in particular the importance of being transparent and open about what we do and working in partnership with our staff, people and other NHS organisations.

“Our hospitals face a significant financial challenge and the team are working hard to ensure we deliver best value for the taxpayer. 

“However, I believe it is possible to deliver safe, good quality patient care and cost effectiveness, not one or the other.”

Trust chairman Mahdi Hasan congratulated Mrs Jones on her new role and praised her contribution during almost two years at the helm of west Herts’ hospitals.

He said: “Samantha has overseen many significant changes across our hospitals, in particular in improving the quality and safety of the care we provide.

“She always puts patients first and is popular with our staff, patients and local people.  Her drive for openness and transparency are an example to us all.

“Over the last eighteen months we have recruited a permanent board of experienced executive and non-executive directors, and we have recently launched a five year programme to transform the way we work. 

“This will ensure we are both clinically and financially sustainable for the longer-term.”

He welcomed Mrs Kelly and said he was “delighted” to have appointed someone with her level of experience.

He added: “We will start the process of recruiting a substantive chief executive shortly.”