Fit and Proper Person Investigation Report into the conduct of former Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust chair Ben Reid (13 October 2022)

Summary

A fit and proper person review into the conduct of former Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust chair Ben Reid, who left in August 2020, has been published by the board.

The report follows complaints about Mr Reid’s conduct from the family of baby Kate Stanton-Davies, who died in the trust’s care and whose case – alongside that of Pippa Griffiths – sparked the original Ockenden inquiry.

Content

The initial draft report was presented to the Board of Directors at the October 2021 Board meeting held in private.

Following receipt of a letter by the Chief Executive from two complainants in July 2020 concerning Mr Ben Reid (the former Chair of the Trust), Ms Fiona Scolding KC was commissioned by the Trust to carry out an independent investigation with regard to whether or not the issues raised in that letter gave rise to matters which engage the Fit and Proper Persons Regulations (FPPR), such that Mr Reid’s actions meant that he should no longer be considered to be a fit and proper person in accordance with the FPPR.

In her report, Ms Scolding concludes that the complaints against Mr Reid do not amount to matters which would be considered to meet the test of “unfitness” set out in the FPPR. She concludes that mistakes were made and that, although the actions of Mr Reid were not always correct, they did not meet the threshold of “serious” mismanagement by way of deliberate activity or standards which fall significantly below the level of the competent Chair.

Ms Scolding's findings and recommendations can be read in the Appendices of the Board paper.