Trust investigating its new chief exec’s qualifications

The BBC has reported Mason Fitzgerald, who is due to take up the post at Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust in April, has misleadingly stated he held a masters of law qualification.

Annual reports from the trust, where he was already deputy chief, and from his previous employer, East London FT, state he had an LLM.

However, the BBC quoted the University of Georgia in the US, where he is said to have earned the qualification, as having stated he in fact attended two semesters of the law graduate programme, but did not graduate with an LLM.

Mr Fitzgerald joined ELFT in 2002 and was appointed its director of planning and performance in February 2015. He was initially seconded to Norfolk and Suffolk by ELFT and was substantively appointed director of strategic partnerships and deputy chief executive in November 2019. HSJ understands he is still seconded into that role from ELFT and is therefore currently employed  by ELFT rather than Norfolk and Suffolk.  

According to NSFT’s announcement on his appointment, he has worked in NHS mental health services for 18 years.

In a joint statement, the two trusts said: “An independent review of the concerns raised is being conducted and it would be inappropriate to comment further until that is concluded.”

NSFT also declined to tell HSJ if Mr Fitzgerald had been suspended, or was still working in the deputy role.

Mr Fitzgerald’s new role was announced by the trust in December but the press release did not mention his qualifications. At the time, the trust chair Marie Gabriel — who was also chair of ELFT until earlier last year — said he had an “impressive track record of achievement”.

The two trusts were “buddied” in 2017 and Ms Gabriel was appointed as chair of Norfolk and Suffolk in early 2019, while retaining her role at ELFT.

Norfolk and Suffolk is rated “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission and is in special measures for quality. Mr Fitzgerald was due to replace Jonathan Warren, who is retiring.

Updated 10.30am 19 February with information about current employment.