Pure Sports Medicine, a specialist in musculoskeletal, sport and exercise medicine, has appointed Dr John Etherington (pictured) as its medical director, to lead its team of sport and exercise medicine consultants based in seven London clinics.

Etherington served in the Armed Forces for 35 years and was a consultant in rheumatology and rehabilitation medicine at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court, Epsom. He was the director of defence rehabilitation, and therefore responsible for policy and plans for all forms of rehabilitation across the Armed Forces from 2011 to 2018. Previously clinical director at Headley Court, he was involved in the development of complex trauma rehabilitation services during the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2013, for three years, he held the additional post of national clinical director for rehabilitation at NHS England. He co-chaired the Rehabilitation Programme Board, which identified the transformational change required to incorporate rehabilitation into all elements of NHS care.

Etherington is a member of the NHS England Clinical Reference Groups for Rehabilitation and Disability and the Emergency Preparedness Response and Resilience. He co-chaired the rehabilitation subcommittee of the Regional Trauma Network clinical advisory group, which developed the Trauma Networks in England.

He chaired the Royal College of Physicians committee for Sport and Exercise Medicine and was vice-president of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK.