Andrew Oakerbee, aged 49, has been appointed hospital director at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, it has been announced.

Andrew comes to Shepton Mallet from sister hospital Southampton NHS Treatment Centre, where he was acting hospital director and part of the team which saw the hospital become the only one in Hampshire to be rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Andrew has a background in accountancy, finance and commercial management in the healthcare sector.

He joined Care UK, which runs Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, in 2008 and he has worked in the company's healthcare and care home businesses. He is an avid football fan.

Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre is the first hospital of its kind to be rated overall Outstanding across the five domains of the quality mark by the CQC.

It opened its doors in 2005 to provide elective (planned) surgery to NHS patients and the majority of the care it provides is NHS.

The hospital regularly scores 99 per cent-plus from its patients in the national Friends and Family Test.

Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre was top in the country for primary hip replacements in the year to March 2019, according to the national Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). The hospital was also in the top five per cent for total knee placements.

Andrew said: "Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre is a successful hospital with a wonderful and talented team, and I am very much looking forward to joining that team and contributing to its success.

"We have achieved much over recent years, especially in the areas of quality care and innovation, and it is my intent to build on those achievements for even greater success in the future."

Andy Lunt, managing director of secondary care at Care UK, said: "Andrew has proved himself as an excellent hospital director at our treatment centre in Southampton and I am confident that his success will continue at our Shepton Mallet hospital, which is one of the best in the country.

"His commitment to quality and our driving ethos – to put patients at the heart of everything we do – will benefit patients and staff at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre.

"I am delighted that he has become hospital director for this hospital and I look forward to supporting him with the changes and developments he plans."