John James has been appointed director of community and specialist health services at Hounslow and Spelthorne Community and Mental Health trust. He joins from King's Healthcare trust, where he was clinical services manager for two-and-a-half years. Previously he was chief executive of the former Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster family health services authority.

Jenny Kay, clinical paediatrics manager at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, moves in March to the Department of Health as nursing officer (media/publicity). She replaces Brian Booth, who has left the DoH to become projects manager for Emap Healthcare, which publishes the Journal.

Wellhouse trust has appointed Tim Briggs consultant urologist as part of changes to the urodynamics service at Barnet Hospital which will allow people to be treated locally instead of travelling to central London. Mr Briggs held a similar post in Sydney, Australia.

Martha Perriam is to stand down as chair of Avon health authority to become chair of Weston Area Health trust. A former teacher and Liberal Democrat activist, Ms Perriam has also been a member of Weston community health council, Bristol and Weston health authority, Avon family practitioner committee and Avon family health services authority. The trust has also appointed former parliamentary candidate and psychology, sociology and human biology teacher Deborah Sanders as a non-executive director, and reappointed magistrate Angela Crowe to the board for three years.

Six appointments of trust board chairs in the North West have been announced. Barry Fothergill, former non-executive director of Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Community Health Services trust, will chair Blackpool Victoria Hospital trust. Hermann Jungmayr, former non-executive director of North Manchester Healthcare trust, is to chair Rochdale Health Care trust. John Colchester, chair of Greater Manchester Ambulance Service trust for the past four years, has stood down to become chair of Mersey Regional Ambulance Service trust. Ian Woolley, chair of Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare trust since 1993, has been reappointed for a further four years. Alec Thompson OBE, chair of Lancaster Acute Hospitals trust since 1991, has been reappointed until November 1998. Peter Mount, chair of Salford Royal Hospitals trust since 1993, has been reappointed for a further

two years.

Conservative Mary Firth has been reappointed for a third term as chair of Oldham trust, a post

she has held since 1992. Ms Firth was formerly chair of Oldham health authority and is president of her local Conservative Party.