The new boss of Bradford's cash-strapped hospitals today said one of his main challenges will be completing the financial recovery of Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital.

Miles Scott, who is expected to start his new job as Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's chief executive in September, said he has no reservations about taking on the role - despite the Trust's financial problems of the past 12 months.

"The main challenges are completing the financial recovery and being clear about exactly what the range and nature of services are that will be provided in the hospitals," said Mr Scott, who has been chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust since 2001.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals has cut its debt from a forecast £11.3m to £7.9m through a raft of measures including job losses and ward closures.

Mr Scott said: "There were some financial difficulties last year. A great deal has already been done to put that right and get spending back in line with the income the hospitals receive. Now it's about being clear about what are the type and range of services the people of Bradford want from the hospitals and making sure we can bring in resources to deliver them and ensure staff have the tools for their job. The hospitals have a really good clinical reputation. There's a good staff who are able to provide good services in the NHS. The job is to build on that."

At 38, Mr Scott is one of the youngest NHS Trust bosses in the UK. In the past four years, he has led the Harrogate Trust to the top of the national performance tables - and a break-even financial state - to achieve Foundation status.

He said: "There are opportunities to develop services in the community and I would like to work with the Primary Care Trusts to develop those, particular around people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart failure.

"With these kind of conditions more services can be provided closer to people's homes so they do not need to come into hospital just because they need tests.

"Equally, with the advent of the new treatment centre at Eccleshill, patients will be able to get a range of outpatient appointments and diagnostic tests close to home in a fantastic purpose-built facility."

But he stressed the hospitals' core services are valued and said there are no plans to close St Luke's.

"All of the core services for hospitals as they stand are central to their future and I think the agenda is about improving those services and developing them further and looking at ways of increasing the amount of specialist work," he said. "They have fantastic senior clinical staff who are capable of providing services you do not often find outside of somewhere like Leeds - such as in cardiology, cancer services and ear, nose and throat - providing very specialist work in Bradford and opportunities to develop this."

The new boss is keen to talk to staff, patients, and GPs and stressed he brings an "open mind" to the role.

"Coming into the organisation, my top priority is to get out and about to meet staff and hear first-hand what their views are," he said. "It's absolutely essential for the future of the organisation that staff are involved and we make sure we communicate clearly what the challenges are the organisation faces."

A member of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Appraisals Committee since 2002, Mr Scott is chairman of the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) Programme Board, a member of the North East Cluster Board for NPfIT and an NHS Confederation Regional Council member.