The PM Society, a leading organisation for marketing in the life science industries, has appointed David Southern as leader of its NHS Partnerships Interest Group.

Southern, the Director of Pathway Communications, has experience of working both with NHS organisations to redesign services and with pharmaceutical companies to develop their NHS strategy.

He replaces Ivor Eisenstadt, who has retired from the voluntary position in order to focus on his business, the publisher MGP Ltd, and on working with CCG Patient Participation Groups.

The PM Society’s NHS Partnerships Interest Group is concerned with promoting and enhancing joint working partnerships between the pharmaceutical industry and the newly deregulated NHS.

Southern commented that the group “has been extremely active from the outset in sharing understanding of how industry can work with the NHS in this new era.

“Standalone events for members and a presence at key meetings have enabled both doctors, commissioners and industry representatives to share best practice, inform and educate,” he added. “I am looking forward to progressing opportunities such as this to promote excellence in NHS joint working.”

Pathway Communications, which Southern founded in 2008, has worked with hospital and primary care trusts to develop and implement new clinical services.

Before that, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years, helping companies to develop their NHS strategy, define their healthcare offering and model patient pathways.

The PM Society NHS Partnerships Interest Group was formed in 2012 to support joint working by sharing experience and good practice, and by offering practical support to developing partnership projects.

The PM Society is a not-for-profit organisation with members from over 230 life science companies.

Robert Garner has been appointed as interim Managing Director for Surrey and Sussex CSU after its former leader took a new role at the NHS Commissioning Board.

Clodagh Warde-Robinson has decided to leave the Support Unit in favour of a role with the NHS CB working on the programme to enable the externalisation of CSUs.

Mr Garner said he was “delighted to have the opportunity to lead the Surrey & Sussex CSU” and had already spoken to his predecessor to gain insight into the role.

One of his first tasks will be to meet with CCG accountable officers to explore solutions to deliver the best outcomes for commissioners and ensure sustainable arrangements in the future.

Mr Garner previously served as interim MD at the Norfolk and Waveney CSU.

The experienced John Wilderspin has been appointed to lead the Central Southern Commissioning Support Unit.

The current National Director for Health and Wellbeing Board Implementation at the Department of Health has been recruited to the Managing Director position by the NHS Commissioning Board.

Mr Wilderspin has more than 25 years’ experience in healthcare management and has held senior roles in several NHS organisations.

Prior to joining the DH, he was a PCT Chief Executive and held a number of roles with the NHS Modernisation Agency. During the 1990s he also ran an acute hospital trust in Essex.

His appointment means that only one of the 23 CSUs across England does not have a permanent managing director.

Dr Tonio Borg looks set to take over as European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs following John Dalli’s resignation from the post in mid-October.

The current deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Malta has been named by the Maltese government as their preferred candidate to fill the vacancy.

Speaking in the Times of Malta, Dr Borg said that “close contact” with European MPs is “crucial for the Commission to produce the best legislation possible for European citizens.”

A representative from Malta must fill the position until 2014 under the presidency of Portugal’s José Manuel Barroso.

Mr Dalli stood down from his position after an anti-fraud inquiry linked him to an attempt to influence tobacco legislation.

The European Union’s anti-fraud office found that a Maltese business attempted to use his contacts with Mr Dalli for financial gain. Mr Dalli categorically rejected the investigation’s findings.

Specialty pharmaceutical company AP Pharma has appointed the former global head of oncology at Bayer Healthcare as its senior VP and Chief Commercial Officer.

Robert Rosen will lead the launch of APF530, AP Pharma’s drug to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

He will become a director of the company once the drug has successfully establishes a market presence.

John Whelan, President and CEO of AP Pharma, said: “Robert’s deep and extensive experience commercialising oncology drugs will be instrumental as we enter the commercialisation phase of the company.”

AP Pharma specialises in developing injectable drugs using its Biochronomer polymer-based drug delivery platform, which can reduce the frequency of injection from daily to weekly or fortnightly.

APF30, the company’s lead product, is used to prevent both acute-onset and delayed-onset nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.

Rosen led Bayer’s cancer drugs operation from 2005 to 2011 – including the launch of Nexavar (sorafenib) for the treatment of renal cancers.

Before that, he was VP of oncology at Sanofi-Synthèlabo, where he was responsible for launching the colon cancer drug Eloxatin (oxaliplatin).

The NHS Commissioning Board has appointed its Director of Nursing: Quality Improvement and Care.

Professor Juliet Beal, who previously served as Director of Nursing (East) at NHS South of England, has been recruited to fill the role.

In her new position Professor Beal will be responsible for ensuring that high standards of care, compassion and patient experience are at the heart of nursing and midwifery in the NHS and social care system.

She will be tasked with providing clinical and professional leadership for mental health, midwifery, children’s health and leadership for the nursing and midwifery contributions to the five domains in the NHS Outcomes Framework.

Two commissioning groups in Leeds have strengthened their leadership committees after appointing separate accountable officers to their boards.

Philomena Corrigan, the former director of commissioning and nursing for Leeds PCT, has been appointed Chief Officer Designate of the NHS Leeds West CCG.

Nigel Gray, who previously served as deputy director of commissioning and nursing with NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds, takes on a similar role at NHS Leeds North CCG.

The two new recruits both have a background in nursing. Philomena Corrigan began her nursing career in 1982 before moving on to senior positions. Mr Gray qualified as a nurse in 1985 before moving on to commissioning roles.

The NHS Commissioning Board has appointed Leigh Griffin as the Managing Director of Greater Manchester Commissioning Support Unit.

Mr Griffin currently serves at the Deputy Chief Executive of the West Mercia PCT cluster. He was previously the Chief Executive at NHS Sefton for several years.

His appointment follows the recruitment of Tim Andrews at two nearby CSUs in the North West. Mr Andrews, who was earlier appointed to lead the Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral CSU, will also take on similar MD responsibilities at the Merseyside Commissioning Support Unit.

NHS Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group has continued the development of its senior leadership team with the appointment of a new Chair Designate.

Brian Rolfe has been appointed to chair the group having worked as a non-executive director with NHS Bedfordshire since October 2008 and at the NHS Bedfordshire and Luton PCT cluster since 2011.

Dr Paul Hassan, who was also recently appointed as Chief Clinical Officer Designate, said the new chair “brings a wealth of experience in non-executive NHS roles as well as business acumen outside of the public sector”.

The new chair brings with him extensive experience in supply chain management for a number of large international companies and an understanding of demand management, procurement and customer service.

He is tasked with overseeing the CCG’s £400m budget to commission services for the 430,000 local population.

One of the leading prosecuting solicitors in the North West is set to take over the reins at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.

Gillian Easson will replace Dr Robina Shah as chair at the Trust at the end of October.

The new chair said she was “privileged to take this appointment at such an exciting and challenging time” and hoped her experience would “help me hit the ground running”.

In her new role she will be responsible for the Trust’s £275m annual budget and the treatment of the local population of around 750,000 residents.

She initially joined the Trust as a non-executive director in 2007 and has worked as the deputy chairman for the organisation for the last six years. She has previously served as a non-executive director of The Christie Cancer Centre and became the first female Pro-Chancellor of The University of Manchester in 2004.

“I am well aware that the NHS faces financial challenges while striving to improve the high quality care we provide to patients,” she said. “However, with the skilled and committed staff in this organisation I am confident we will be very well equipped to respond to those challenges and continue improving our high quality services.”