DUDLEY'S hospital trust has appointed two new board members who have worked as medics in top level sport.

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust has announced the appointment of Dr Gurjit Bhogal and Dr Thuvarahan Amuthalingam associate non-executive board members.

Both are at the forefront of their professions and bring significant expertise to the trust, a spokesman for the Dudley Group said.

Dr Bhogal is a freelance GP who began his career in 2009 as a medical officer for the British Boxing Board of Control for the Amateur Boxing Association of England.

Since 2012, he has been medical officer for the Olympic Games (boxing) and Paralympic Games (table tennis).

He has held the position of first team and academy doctor at Aston Villa Football Club since 2015 and has also held lead club doctor roles at Kidderminster Harriers Football Club, the British Triathlon Federation, Worcester Wolves basketball Team and for Bristol Bears Rugby Club.

From 2010 to 2013, he was chief medical officer and governance lead for Worcester Country Cricket Club.

Dr Bhogal has also been involved in a number of sporting committees including as chairman of the Ground Safety Committee at Warwickshire County Cricket Club (2017-2020). He was a medical panel member for the England and Wales Cricket Board from 2015 to 2021 and is on the Local Organising Committee for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Dr Thuvarahan Amuthalingam, who works across the Black Country and West Birmingham STP, was academy doctor at Birmingham City Football Club from 2019 to 2020.

Currently an elected member of the BMA West Midlands Regional Council and a board member of the Royal College of GPs Midland Faculty, he began his career at The Dudley Group in 2015 before moving to Sandwell and West Birmingham working as an occupational health doctor.

He went on to work as a locum doctor at a number of Midlands trusts including The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust working on primary care workforce recruitment and retention.

Trust chairman Dame Yve Buckland welcomed the appointments and said: "The new appointments add an exciting new dimension to our trust board which will support our commitment to providing safe patient care and strategic effectiveness.

“Gurjit and Thuvarahan bring with them a range of skills and knowledge to our board and will add fresh perspective and expertise to the trust.”