The new chief executive of Oxford's major hospitals says he is determined to give doctors a bigger say in their running.

Trevor Campbell Davis

Trevor Campbell Davis will take the helm at the Oxford Radcliffe NHS Hospitals Trust later this summer.

Mr Campbell Davis, chief executive of the Whittington NHS Trust in north London, said doctors, nurses and clinical staff should be given the opportunity to be "more fully engaged in the running of hospitals".

He feared that too often in the NHS consultants and medical staff were left to care for patients while administrators determined the long-term future and requirements of hospitals.

"Clinicians should be at the centre of decision-making," he said.

"They need to feel more involved. They are the intellectual heart of the service -- not the administrative staff."

With the trust facing debts of £20m, Mr Campbell Davis said he was confident a financial recovery could be achieved without any fall in the standard of patient care. He said: "My objective is to get back to a balanced budget within three years. But that has to be done in the context of continuing to develop and improve the range of services.

"I'm not coming to this job simply to address financial issues.

"I'm aware that over the past year staff have worked hard to meet Government targets and to speed up patients' access to high quality care

"I'm also aware that staff at all levels are now having to address the organisation's financial difficulties."

He said he was also determined to reduce the huge amounts of money the trust spent on agency nurses, as well as advertising for staff, which has passed £2m.

Chairman Sir William Stubbs said: "Mr Campbell Davis has a reputation as someone who is able to lead clinical staff and managers through difficult times."

Sir William added: "He has considerable financial and management experience in the business world and the NHS, and has an excellent track record of helping organisations through financial recovery."