He spent more than 20 years as a naval officer, during which he navigated warships, but now the next challenge for Jon Green is to steer a challenged hospital through extremely choppy waters.

Mr Green has been appointed chief executive of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (QEH), where he will replace Dorothy Hosein - who leaves in April.

She helped turn the hospital around after it was placed in 'special measures' by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission in 2013.

Mr Green has worked within the NHS for 11 years, and is currently the chief operating officer at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.

'It's a pretty big step in many ways,' he said.

'There is an element of being daunted but it's an exciting challenge.

'The two hospitals are identical, and the local population is very similar apart from a few social differences.'

Asked why he wanted to become the chief executive of a hospital at a time when the job comes with relentless pressure, Mr Green said: 'I wanted to be in a position where I could make the biggest difference, and that's a chief executive position.

'The Queen Elizabeth Hospital offers a similar health system to what I'm used to.'

Like most other hospitals in England the Queen Elizabeth has been struggling with key performance targets, such as the A&E four-hour waiting target and the 62-day cancer target - though it has improved steadily since exiting special measures in 2015.

Asked what his first priorities would be when he takes up the post in May, Mr Green said 'it all emanates from A&E.

'The QEH has done better than previously with its A&E performance. If you can deliver on that you can deliver your elective, and you're probably getting a good flow so you have to start at the front door.

'One thing we will also desperately need is stability as there has been a churn of leaders in the last few years.'

Edward Libbey, chairman of the QEH, said: 'We are delighted to be welcoming Jon to our hospital. He was a standout candidate and brings with him an exceptional acute operational background.'