Health Protection Agency appoints new Director of Human Resources

24 January 2008

The Chairman of the Health Protection Agency, Sir William Stewart , today announced the appointment of Tony Vickers as the Agency's new Director of Human Resources.

Mr Vickers, who will take up the role on 1 April 2008, is currently Director of Human Resources (HR) at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust and has extensive senior level experience of human resources management in the NHS. He replaces John Phipps who retires as the Agency's Director of HR at the end of February.

In his present post, which he has held since 2002, Mr Vickers has delivered a series of improvements which have had a significant impact on the Trust's performance including reducing the sickness rate, reducing temporary staff costs, halving the staff turnover rate and setting up its first organisational development framework. At a strategic level he produced the workforce strategy and HR business plan for the Foundation Trust bid.

Mr Vickers' career has spanned working in a number of large hospitals and NHS trusts, including teaching hospitals such as the Royal Free and Hammersmith hospitals, as well as five years in higher education and a year as an HR consultant and clinical governance assessor in the Commission for Health Improvement.

Announcing the appointment Sir William said: “Tony Vickers has extensive senior management experience in the field of public sector human resources. His NHS experience will be invaluable to the Health Protection Agency which not only works closely with the NHS at every level, but its own staff work under NHS terms and conditions. His extensive experience of workforce development and organisational development, in communications and in facilities design and management will be invaluable as the Agency meets the challenges of an ever expanding brief in a fast moving environment. I am delighted Mr Vickers will be joining us.”

Mr Vickers said: “The work of the Health Protection Agency has never been more vital to the health and welfare of people throughout the UK . I am privileged to be joining an organisation with such worthy aims and I look forward to working closely with all the diverse groups of professional and support staff who provide such an important service to us all.”

Notes to Editors

For further information, please contact the Health Protection Agency's Holborn Press Office on 020 7759 2718.
The Health Protection Agency is an independent organisation dedicated to protecting people's health in the United Kingdom . It does this by providing impartial advice and authoritative information on health protection issues to the public, to professionals and to government. The Agency combines public health, biological, chemical and radiological expertise, research and emergency planning in one organisation. It works at international, national, regional and local levels and has links with many other organisations around the world. This means it can respond quickly and effectively to new and existing national and global threats to health.

Last reviewed: 29 December 2008