HSJ’s round-up of the day’s must read stories and debate

What’s new in Devon?

One of the longest serving NHS chief executives, Angela Pedder, is standing down from Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust to become “lead chief executive” of the local success regime.

Ms Pedder, who has run Royal Devon for 19 years, will lead the northern, eastern and western Devon success regime while also acting as lead for the overall Devon “sustainability and transformation plan” footprint.

She will remain in post at the trust until “early summer” and will divide her time between the organisation and the success regime in the interim. A recruitment process for her replacement will begin shortly.

Dame Ruth Carnall will continue as the independent chair of the success regime, chairing the “collaborative board”, which Ms Pedder will be accountable to.

Royal Devon chair James Brent said: “Angela has been discussing her plans to stand down from her role at the [trust] with the board for some time and we have been making the necessary plans to recruit a replacement.”

He said the “first class leadership” she had developed at the trust would “build upon the legacy she leaves”.

Resignation at the PHSO

The deputy parliamentary and health service ombudsman Mick Martin has resigned from his role at the NHS complaints watchdog, HSJ reported on Tuesday.

This follows stories by HSJ revealing how Mr Martin was involved the cover-up of sexual harassment at Derbyshire Healthcare FT, and how his boss Dame Julie Mellor knew about it last year but appeared to take no action.

HSJ’s editor last month called on Mr Martin and Dame Julie to resign as a result of this and a number of other failures in the PHSO leadership’s performance.

Mr Martin had taken a leave of absence in March and was due to face an investigation but in a statement to HSJ on Tuesday morning the PHSO confirmed he would not be returning to work

Dame Julie remains in post, but the PHSO announced on Tuesday that Sir Alex Allan, former chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, will carry out the separate investigation into her actions and those of the organisation after it was made aware of Mr Martin’s behaviour last July.

A familiar face

Former Department of Health finance chief Richard Douglas has been named as a non-executive director at NHS Improvement.

The regulator, which officially emerged last week from the merger of Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority, has announced its full board.

Mr Douglas – previously a regular in the HSJ100 – takes his new position after stepping down from his role as DH director general of finance last May.

HSJ readers welcomed the appointment, with one saying: “This is very good news. It’s great that someone with his depth of experience has been persuaded to come back as a NED.”

Mr Douglas is joined on the board by NHSI chief executive Jim Mackey and non-executives Lord Carter and Lord Darzi, among others.