Chief departs Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals

Phil Morley said in a statement his departure was a “personal decision” which he “took several weeks ago” and shared with his senior team “in order that we could put transitional arrangements in place”.

“It was an extremely difficult decision for me to take and I will miss my colleagues and all the incredible staff at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust,” he said.

The trust declined to comment on whether Mr Morley had a new role elsewhere.

He will be replaced by Jon Saxby, former chief executive of Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, on an interim basis.

Meanwhile, Keith Hopkins has taken up the position of interim chair at the trust. Previous chair Rob Deri announced in November his intention to step down.

Mr Hopkins had been a non-executive director at the trust since May 2009.

He is also the pro-chancellor at the University of Hull and a board member at the Hull York Medical School.