A NEW head of Healthwatch Oxfordshire's board has been announced.

Tracey Rees has taken over as the chair of the county’s independent health and social care watchdog.

She replaces Professor George Smith, who has stepped down after two-and-a-half years in the top role in order to devote more time to his work as a research scientist.

He will remain a member of the Board of Trustees.

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Ms Rees, who has been a member of the Healthwatch Oxfordshire board for four years, had a long career working locally in the NHS, and more recently she has been working with Patient Participation Groups in Oxford to develop ways of working with GPs and their patients.

She said: “I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to take on the role of Healthwatch Oxfordshire chair and I thank George Smith, the outgoing chair, for the dedication and commitment he has shown during his tenure.

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“I am proud of the work of the Healthwatch Oxfordshire team and board, working with the public in local communities, with patient groups across the county and with partners in the voluntary sector.”

She added: “In my role as chair I will be supporting the organisation’s continued efforts to ensure what we hear from our work in Oxfordshire is acted upon by local health and social care decision makers.”

Healthwatch Oxfordshire works to change services in the county by collecting real patient experiences of the health and social care available.

Visit healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk.