Concerns raised over Letby trust CEO before new appointment

Tony Chambers, who has faced intense criticism for the way concerns about Letby were handled, resigned from CoCH in 2018 and has since worked in various interim roles.

Some have questioned whether he should have been able to take up those roles, given that allegations about his handling of the Letby case were known within circles of the NHS.

In January this year, which was midway through the Letby trial, Mr Chambers was appointed interim CEO of Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex. The trust said the interview panel included an NHS England locality director, as well as Adam Doyle, chief executive of the Sussex Integrated Care Board.

It said the panel also included chair Jackie Smith and two other non-executives. It said the ‘fit and proper person test’ was applied.

HSJ understands that questions and concerns about Mr Chambers time in charge of CoCH were raised by some of the trust’s council of governors when they met to confirm the appointment, but the CoG ultimately approved it.

Mr Chambers started work at QVH in February, leaving earlier than expected in June. He had been appointed for a nine-month term.

QVH declined to comment further.

NHSE said in a statement: “Tony Chambers’ interim appointment followed due process for an executive position and fully considered information available at the time, including the completion of fit and proper person tests.”

Last week, NHSE called an urgent meeting to discuss new powers to disbar senior managers where “serious misconduct” had been found. Mr Chambers has defended his actions at CoCH, which have not yet been subject to any investigation.

Mr Chambers also had an interim CEO spell at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals, to which he was appointed before Letby was charged. At the time he suggested NHS England’s London team had persuaded him to take the role.

NHSE told the BBC: “As regional director for London, Sir David Sloman was not aware of the events at the Countess of Chester when Tony Chambers was appointed.

“NHS England has in the last few weeks strengthened the fit and proper person framework by bringing in additional background checks and ensuring that assessments are recorded on the national electronic staff record system so that they are transferable to other NHS organisations as part of their recruitment processes.”

Mr Chambers also worked at Royal Cornwall Hospitals for six months in 2021, after Letby had been charged. It has been reported that the trust decided not to appoint him permanently after being alerted to the concerns at CoCH.

It said: “This interim appointment followed due process for an executive position and fully considered information available at the time. We cannot comment on personal information relating to a recruitment process. Mr Chambers was not appointed to the substantive position.”

Alison Kelly, the former nursing director at CoCH who was also criticised during the Letby trial, was suspended from her role an interim director of nursing within the Rochdale division of the Northern Care Alliance following the verdict.