Former Shropshire health chief returning to her role as Ludlow GP
A former Shropshire health chief will return to her old role as a family doctor at a surgery within weeks, it has been revealed.
Dr Caron Morton MBE, who was accountable officer for Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) until late last year, will take up her former role as a partner at Ludlow's Station Drive Surgery in February.
She has insisted that "first and foremost I am a GP".
Dr Morton stepped down from her role at the CCG in November after being placed on authorised leave in September.
She had also been a leading figure in the Future Fit programme outlining the reorganisation of health services in the county, including changes to A&E provision at Shrewsbury and Telford.
Shropshire CCG was recently placed in special measures when it revealed it was expecting to record a £11.1 million deficit by the end of the current financial year. Acting accountable officer Brigid Stacey, who took Dr Morton's place, has pledged to turn the group's finances around.
Dr Morton will be a full time GP partner at Station Drive Surgery, where she worked for nine years before taking up her role at the CCG.
She said: "I was absolutely delighted to be re-offered the partnership at Station Drive.
"The surgery is embarking on exciting times with its approach to offering flexible patient access, education and training alongside other projects.
"Being part of the team and seeing the patients of the Ludlow area again will be brilliant."
Dr Morton worked as a partner at Station Drive from 2002 until 2011, when she left to help found Shropshire CCG where she said she was responsible for developing the vision, values and constitution of the organisation with a focus on clinical input and patient safety.
Dr David Partridge, a partner at Station Drive, said: "The surgery has been delighted to be able to build strength and to renew the partnership with Dr Morton who was awarded an MBE for her services to primary care in 2014."
He said Station Drive Surgery had developed over the past few years to become a full GP training practice with two GP registrar doctors and links with Keele University to provide active student teaching.
Since July the practice has also been opening 8am to 8pm, five days a week, and is now including some Saturday appointments and seeing patients from other surgeries in the extended hours.
It also plans to offer pharmacy review and physiotherapy appointments alongside the existing counselling service soon.
Dr Morton will be joining the three other partners Dr Partridge, Dr Graham Cook and Dr James Harris, as well as two regular doctors, a family planning expert and an extended team of nurses at the surgery.
