Hammersmith and Fulham primary care trust and the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham are to begin operating with a joint chief executive and integrated management team.

From 7 April, council chief executive Geoff Alltimes will take the helm at both organisations while the PCT interim chief executive Sarah Whiting becomes managing director for health. The PCT board and council cabinet will remain in place.

PCT chair Jeff Zitron said: “Our view was that we could achieve better health outcomes and greater efficiency in delivering services if we worked together.”

He said prevention and public health work could be boosted by involving council divisions such as planning and leisure in meeting targets.

Local Government Association director of community wellbeing Anne McDonald told Local Government Chronicle the model worked best for areas with roughly 300,000 residents, such as London boroughs: “The individual jobs in places like Kent and Hampshire are too large.”

Herefordshire is the only other area with a joint chief executive.

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