Officials at the region's ambulance service insisted that the number of executives was being reduced, despite appointing its third assistant chief.

North Norfolk News: Daniel Gore, East of England Ambulance Service's new transformation director and assistant chief ambulance officer.Daniel Gore, East of England Ambulance Service's new transformation director and assistant chief ambulance officer. (Image: Archant)

Jon Moore was hired as executive officer/assistant chief ambulance officer at the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) as part of a restructure of the under-performing organisation.

The appointment, which followed an internal recruitment process, comes after Daniel Gore was hired as assistant chief ambulance officer and transformation director in July and Paul Leaman was handed the temporary role of assistant chief executive in January.

Mr Moore has previously been interim head of emergency operations in Norfolk and Suffolk and had been acting north sector lead at the ambulance trust before the role was made redundant in March.

The changes come after Anthony Marsh, CEO of the West Midlands Ambulance Service, was made chief executive of EEAST to turn around the fortunes of the organisation.

North Norfolk News: Paul Leaman, assistant chief executive of EEAST.Paul Leaman, assistant chief executive of EEAST. (Image: Archant)

A spokesman for the NHS trust said that overall there would be fewer assistant chief ambulance officers, or comparable posts, compared to when Dr Marsh took on the twin hatter role in January.

'The phrase assistant chief ambulance officer is one used to describe the rank of those senior uniformed managers within the trust. The trust recruits staff to specific roles. Some of these roles are sufficiently senior to warrant the additional title of assistant chief ambulance officer.

'They all have their own specific titles, such as transformation director for Daniel Gore, assistant chief executive officer for Paul Leaman and executive officer for Jon Moore. This is the same for all emergency services.

'Jon's role is to work with the chief executive and other directors on all aspects of the trust's delivery of services to patients. Jon provides dedicated support and advice to the chief executive on a variety of issues and also leads on a number of specific projects with the chief executive,' said the spokesman.

Mr Leaman, a former associate director, was given the job of assistant chief executive at EEAST at the start of the year and has been leading a project to reduce the number of manager, back office and admin posts. He is set to retire next month.

Mr Leaman was served with a 12 month suspension order by the Health and Care Professions Council in 2009 after it emerged that he had taken an ambulance vehicle on a booze cruise to France in 2001 and that he had exerted pressure on junior staff to place equipment orders with a friend's company whilst he was director of operations at the Essex Ambulance Service.

Have you got a story about the ambulance service? Email adam.gretton@archant.co.uk