After 20 years of service with the Bermuda Hospitals Board, Preston Swan has been appointed the new vice president of quality and risk management.

Mr. Swan, who has served as acting vice president since late 2008, will be responsible for patient safety and clinical risk management as well as handling patient complaints, patient safety issues and quality standards.

He will also assess patient satisfaction survey results, make sure accredited requirements are met and ensure that clinical practices meet best practice standards. He will report to Judy Richardson, the chief of nursing, quality and risk.

David Hill, Chief Executive Officer of BHB, said: "I am very pleased to have someone of Preston's calibre to take on this extremely important position.

"Along with his team, Preston will ensure the quality and safety of our patients at BHB as we work towards our goal of being the first choice for health and wellness."

Since 1989 when Mr. Swan joined the BHB, he has gained experience in areas such as mental health, learning disability and substance abuse at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. Though he initially joined as a staff nurse, he was able to work on various wards and in 1993 was promoted to unit coordinator.

In 1996 he was again promoted to the position of clinical coordinator of the community homes programme, a group home for the learning disabled and mentally handicapped and then to the post of clinical director of the Turning Point substance abuse programme in 2004.