Tom Taylor has taken over charge of the Royal Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, which is �19m in debt.

He replaces Neil Taylor who stepped down in 2004 amid allegations he provided false information on his CV.

Mr Taylor, 42, from Solihull, is due to appear at Shrewsbury Magistrates on 17 August charged with deception.

A recent auditors report by accountants KPMG said the trust may not break even this year and highlighted faults in hospital accounting and controls on spending.

It recommend short-term borrowing from local primary care trusts as one of the solutions.

The trust ran up a �10.1m deficit in 2004/05, on top of a �9m historic debt.