He joins the organisation from Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust, where he has been the executive director of finance since 2022.

Scollay, who is a former director of finance and contracting at North East Ambulance Service before moving to CNTW, will replace Helen Ray, who is retiring after 42 years of service in the NHS.

He also previously worked for South Tees and North Tees Hospitals, as well as North of England Commissioning Support Service.

NEAS chairman, Prof Stuart Corbridge, said: ‘Kevin's leadership skills, aligned with his expertise in finance and strategy development, will directly shape the future of NEAS, and the wider health and care system, as we work collectively to address the evolving needs of the populations we serve.'

He added: ‘Helen has also guided the organisation through a challenging period of service improvements in governance and performance response times, her passion and commitment to partnership working benefitting not only NEAS but the wider health and care system in the North East. Helen will be greatly missed and we wish her all the best for her well-deserved retirement when that time comes.'

Scollay said: ‘I am looking forward to working again with its talented teams and building on the strong foundations that have been established by Helen and to explore how we can continue to further improve and develop services for patients.'