THE man brought in to improve Colchester Hospital has spent his first day in the hotseat.

Sir Peter Dixon started his first day at Colchester yesterday with two long phone conversations with the trust’s chief executive, Peter Murphy.

He says he is aiming to visit the trust’s two main hospitals, in Colchester, on Wednesday and Friday to meet staff and look at the situation.

Sir Peter was appointed interim chairman by healthcare watchdog Monitor after it sacked chairman Richard Bourne, amid concerns about death rates, waiting times and leadership.

Regulators found the trust in “significant breach” of its foundation status after it missed national targets and reported unacceptably high mortality rates.

Sir Peter has been trust chairman at London’s University College Hospital since 2001. The London trust was yesterday named the UK’s best-performing trust in the annual Dr Foster hospital guide.

It was lauded for a low mortality rate, for meeting targets for treatment and bug screening and meeting patients’ expectations.

Sir Peter will continue as chairman at the London trust during his time helping out at Colchester.

Until recently, he was a trustee of the NHS Confederation, having previously chaired the Housing Corporation, and worked in business, banking and finance.