Deputy chief leaves Keogh trust after merger collapses

Patrick Johnson, who was also director of operations, left the trust at the end of September, it emerged last week. It has appointed deputy director of operations Jane Sutherland as interim director of operations until a permanent replacement can be found.

A trust spokeswoman said Mr Johnson had “decided it is the right time to explore new challenges”.

He had been at the trust for three years, during which many other directors have left.

Mr Johnson’s departure comes after a difficult few months in which Medway saw a long-planned merger with Dartford and Gravesham Trust collapse, after the Keogh team’s report highlighted many failings in patient care.

The trust had a deficit of nearly £2m last financial year and expects to make a slightly smaller one this year. The planned merger was expected to deliver both back office savings and clinical benefits.

It is unclear what the future holds for Medway – which is also awaiting the results of a Care Quality Commission inspection of its maternity services. The trust will only say it is reviewing its medium term strategy over the rest of this year as part of the normal business planning process.

The merger had been planned for over two years, before being put on hold earlier this year as it was announced Medway would face an investigation into its mortality rates. This revealed inadequate staffing levels, problems with emergency admissions and staff feeling they could not raise concerns.

Unlike other Keogh trusts, Medway is still waiting to hear which organisation will its ‘buddy trust’ to help it improve.