A WYRE Forest woman has stepped in to fill a vacant slot on the board of the district's key health organisation.

Kate Griffiths, of Chaddesley Corbett, has taken on the role of non-executive board member at Wyre Forest Primary Care Trust, which holds the annual NHS budget - totalling some £72 million - for the district's 109,000 residents.

Ms Griffiths has lived in the district for nearly 19 years, commuting to Birmingham where she works as a senior social services manager, heading up the user involvement and carers' unit. She also manages a multi-agency carers' centre, providing information and support for carers.

"I am really enthusiastic about my new role. Health is the number one issue for all of us.

"I am looking forward to finding out from local people the priorities they feel the primary care trust should be tackling on their behalf."

Ms Griffiths will work five days a month in her new post, earning an annual salary of £5,294. She joins six other non-executive directors on the 13-strong board. They play a key role in scrutinising the work of the trust managers, deciding priorities and allocating resources.