The chief executive of Bradford District Care Trust Con Egan is leaving after leading it from its formation in April 2002.

Mr Egan is taking up a new role as chief executive of the new Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust.

It was formed on April 1 by the merger of County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust and Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust.

Mr Egan said he will be sorry to leave the many people he has worked with from across the Bradford District Care Trust, which provides mental health and learning disabilities services.

"I value the many relationships that I have built over the years with people from all areas of the trusts and am proud of those who have developed with me and moved on in their careers," he said.

"Other highlights of my time with the trust are the way we have developed services and the achievements we have made with our users and carers.

"You only have to look at developments at Horton Park and Lynfield Mount and the work that is currently going on at Airedale to see how far we have come.

"I was very pleased to see the start of the new mental health unit at Airedale and will want to come back and see it opened."

Mr Egan takes up his new role after Easter and deputy chief executive/director of personnel and development June Goodson-Moore will act as interim chief executive.

He is looking forward to his new job.

"The key task in my new role will be bringing the two organisations together to create one of the largest health trusts in the country," he said.

"This £200m trust will provide comprehensive mental health and learning disability services - as well as a range of addictive behavioural services - across a huge area from Scarborough to Shotley Bridge.

"I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing the organisations together and working towards foundation trust status over the next couple of years."

Mr Egan served as director of finance and then deputy chief executive at Huddersfield from 1986, then moved to Leeds Health Authority in 1992 as director of finance, becoming deputy chief executive a year later.

He was appointed Bradford Community Health NHS Trust chief executive in 1997 and subsequently chief executive of the Care Trust in 2002.

A qualified accountant, Mr Egan has 37 years' experience in both finance and general management in the NHS.