Beleaguered trust’s chief steps down after less than a year

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Antek Lejk was appointed chief of Norfolk and Suffolk FT last May
Is leaving to take a secondment at London trust appointed as buddy to NSFT
NSFT says interim chief arrangements to be announced “shortly”

The chief executive of inadequate-rated Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust is stepping down after less than a year in charge, the trust has announced.

Antek Lejk, who was only appointed chief executive last May following the departure of Michael Scott, is taking up “a secondment” at East London FT. The trust said interim chief executive arrangements would be announced “shortly”.

The move follows East London FT being appointed as a “buddy trust” to NSFT. The troubled trust faced calls to be put in the failure regime, following a Care Quality Commission inspection in November concluding it should remain in special measures.

The London trust’s chair Marie Gabriel took on the chair role at Norfolk and Suffolk in January.

Mr Lejk was previously chief officer of South Norfolk and North Norfolk clinical commissioning groups. A trust statement said he would be “supporting the development of an integrated care system in north east London”.

Ms Gabriel said in a statement: “This is a great opportunity that draws on Antek’s proven experience of, and indeed success with, system working. After careful consideration, and given that Antek has managed to bring NSFT to a point where the green shoots of improvement are starting to show, he has decided to accept this offer.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank Antek for his hard work and dedication over what I know has been a challenging few months.”

Mr Lejk said in a statement: “I believe that the trust is at a key stage of its journey to improve the quality of its services.

“Whilst I fully support the trust on that journey, it is my belief that it will benefit from a new vision and leadership and I fully support it on that journey.”