Hospital welcomes new CEO

• South Gippsland Hospital’s new CEO, Chris Trotman, with some of the hospital board. Pictured (L-R) board chair Neil Roussac, Ms Trotman, board members Matthew Marriott, Susan Pilkington and Iain Vernon.

CHRIS Trotman has begun work as the new chief executive officer at South Gippsland Hospital. She succeeds Peter Rushen, who has retired after six years at the helm.

“He left the hospital in very good shape,” said Ms Trotman, who lives in Leongatha and is very happy to be working in the Foster community after several years working in the Latrobe Valley.

Originally trained as a nurse, she also has qualifications in accounting and business. Most recently she worked as the CEO of a disability support service in the Latrobe Valley. Before that she was executive director of Aged and Disability Services at Latrobe Community Health Service.

Until recently she was on the board of Gippsland Southern Health Service, which includes the hospitals at Leongatha and Korumburra.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the hospital staff and the local community,” said Ms Trotman, when The Mirror caught up with her this week.

“I understand how important the hospital and the community health centre are to the community. I know the community is very well served by the doctors at the local medical centre. We are very fortunate to have such high calibre doctors working here.”

Ms Trotman said she appreciates the role the hospital plays as a major employer in the district. “I also see our role as a key player in the community extending to aged care, schools and sporting clubs. It is important for the hospital to work very much as a part of the community, not in a silo.

She added: “It’s terrific to have a board that is very much part of the Corner Inlet community and has such a depth of knowledge because of its many long-serving members.”

“My overriding aim is to make sure the hospital and the community health centre are sustainable in the long term,” she concluded.

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