BETSI cadwaladr has appointed a new executive director of primary care and community services.

Dr Chris Stockport, general practitioner (GP) and current area medical director for Conwy and Denbighshire, will take up the new role with the health board on October 1.

Dr Stockport has been a GP for about 20 years and he led the development of Healthy Prestatyn Iach, a pioneering new approach to primary care services built around a wide multi-disciplinary team.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) took direct control of three practices in Prestatyn and Rhuddlan in 2016 after they all terminated their contracts because of difficulty in recruiting GPs. As a result, the Healthy Prestatyn Iach practice was formed.

Before his leadership role as area medical director, Dr Stockport was a GP trainer and GP speciality training programme director.

He remains an honorary Research Fellow at Bangor University.

He said: “I am passionate about primary and community care innovation and service redesign and believe that we should develop our services around the needs of patients – not the organisation.

"We have huge challenges due to changing health demands. My role will be to lead the work around how we adapt to deliver modern primary care and community services in a way which is prudent by design, and sustainable and in partnership with our third sector, independent and local authority colleagues.

“I am very much looking forward to playing my part in contributing to the improvements planned across the health board.”

Gary Doherty, chief executive of BCUHB said: “I am delighted that Chris, an experienced GP leader who knows North Wales well, has accepted this crucial post at the Health Board.

“Chris’s experience and insight will be a valuable asset to our executive team as we work together to improve and transform services in communities across North Wales.”