Daily Insight: And now for Plan B

Charting a course for the Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex which does not involve a merger with its larger neighbour is the unenviable task facing new chief executive James Lowell.

Mr Lowell – who will start his new job in September – will inherit a trust where the proposed merger with the University Hospitals Sussex Foundation Trust caused divisions and discontent. Former chief executive Steve Jenkin stood down after the merger was abandoned, to be replaced by interim Tony Chambers.

But Mr Chambers – who was expected to lead the trust for nine months – left after just four, with an acting chief executive taking over from the start of this month. Mr Chambers is the former chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital FT, where a number of babies died in the neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016. The trial of nurse Lucy Letby for the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of 10 others is expected to end soon.

Mr Lowell, who is joining from South London and Maudsley FT, will have to establish there is a viable future for the hospital as a standalone trust and gain the confidence of staff and governors.

Doubling up

London foundation trust chief executive Paul Calaminus is taking up the same role at a neighbouring provider, it has been announced.

Mr Calaminus has been appointed substantive chief executive of North East London FT and is expected to start later in the summer.

He has been in charge at neighbouring East London FT, which provides services in inner north east London and parts of the East of England, since October 2020.

The trusts told HSJ it was not a joint appointment, and Mr Calaminus will not remain CEO at ELFT, but stated only that “further details of arrangements for ELFT will be notified once they are finalised”.

ELFT is rated “outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission and NELFT is rated “good”, with a “requires improvement” rating in the safety category. Read the full story.