Exclusive: Board directors at ‘witch hunt’ trust to step down

Nick Jenkins will step down as West Suffolk Foundation Trust’s medical director at the end of May. He cited “personal reasons” and the need to care for an unwell family member as the driver for the move in an internal email seen by HSJ.

HSJ has also confirmed the trust’s chief operating officer Helen Beck has told staff she will retire in November.

The moves come as an investigation into allegations that the trust’s leadership bullied staff in an attempt to find out who leaked confidential patient information is due to be published soon.

Dr Jenkins says in the note that he will continue to work at the trust part-time as an emergency consultant. The trust’s deputy medical director Paul Molyneux will hold the medical director role as an interim measure while a full recruitment process is carried out, the message said.

Dr Jenkins’ message to staff said: “Due to personal reasons I will be stepping down from my role of medical director at the end of May. As some of you know, one of my family is unwell and I want to focus on my part in caring for them during this time.”

The high-profile review was set up to investigate the “handling and circumstances surrounding concerns raised in a letter that was sent in October 2018, to the relative of a patient who had died in the Suffolk hospital” (see box for full timeline).

The review was originally due to be published in April 2020, but it has faced a series hold ups, in part due to the trust and investigators needing to focus on the coronavirus crisis.

Sources familiar with process toldHSJ the trust had been given the review, led by Christie FT chair Christine Outram. The trust however told HSJ it had this was incorrect and it “not been given the review”.

The whistleblower’s letter was sent to the family of Susan Warby, 57, who died at West Suffolk Hospital in August 2018 after suffering multi-organ failure and other complications. The letter’s anonymous author raised serious concerns about her treatment by the trust.

An email sent to trust staff this morning by chief executive Steve Dunn, announcing both the moves, said: “On behalf of the WSFT board, I would like to thank both Nick and Helen for their dedication and leadership over the years.

“Their commitment to the trust has been unwavering and they have achieved so much in their time here. In particular, over the last year, they have both played pivotal roles in helping to steer West Suffolk through our response to the covid-19 pandemic.”

Hancock distances himself from probe

The hospital’s local MP is the health and social care secretary Matt Hancock. He stepped back from the process to avoid any concerns over the review’s independence, because of his professional relationship with trust chief executive Steve Dunn, of whom he had spoken very highly and referred to as a “brilliant leader” in a tweet in December 2018.

Health minister Edward Argar is leading the process at government level but NHSE/I has operational control.

The trust was one of the English NHS’ leading smaller hospitals, and the only district general hospital to be rated “outstanding” by the CQC prior to the saga. Chief executive Mr Dunn was awarded a CBE for “services to health and patient safety” in the 2018 Queen’s New Year Honours list. He was rated third in HSJ’s top 50 chief executives list in 2019, but was not included at all in this year’s list.

The trust issued a statement from Mr Dunn. It said: “On behalf of the board I would like to thank both Nick and Helen for their dedication and leadership over many years. We are pleased that Nick will remain as a valuable member of the trust’s consultant body and we wish Helen all the very best for her retirement at the end of the year.”

UPDATED 14:07 on 13 April: The piece originally said: ”HSJ understands the trust has been given the review, led by Christie FT chair Christine Outram, to allow its leadership the opportunity of a right of reply ahead of the report’s wider publication.” The trust disputed this after publication. It has now been updated to say: ”Sources familiar with process told HSJ the trust had been given the review, led by Christie FT chair Christine Outram. The trust however told HSJ it had this was incorrect and it “not been given the review”.