CEO blames group model for trusts’ collapse

Bringing two trusts together in a group led to problems with governance, accountability and the visibility of leaders, the organisations’ interim chief executive has admitted.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust, which work together as the Humber Health Partnership, have been placed in the highest tier of national intervention due to concerns over leadership, performance and patient safety.

The two trusts formed a group in 2023 but subsequently lost their chief executive and chair after their relationship broke down.

In a report for the meeting, Lyn Simpson, who was brought in as interim chief last year, said the group model’s aim was “the right one”.

But she added: “From its inception, the group operating model evolved in practice closer to a de-facto merger than a traditional NHS group arrangement, without the accompanying clarity, simplification or maturity of governance typically required to make such models effective.

“While the original intent of the group model was to enable shared solutions, the operating model was not always systematically refined as pressures increased. Over time this has contributed to increased organisational complexity, diluted lines of accountability and reduced visible senior leadership capacity at site level.”

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Source: HSJ, 10 March 2026