East Kent Hospitals accused of ‘cancer at the top of the organisation’ by governor

The former lead governor of East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust has resigned this morning, claiming there is “a cancer at the top of the organisation” and that its services won’t be safe until the government provides funding for critical estates work.

His resignation as a governor came hours before the publication of what is expected to be a “harrowing” report into maternity services at the trust from an independent review led by Sir Bill Kirkup. He is also expected to raise concerns about national progress on maternity services safety in recent years.

Alex Lister, who is chair of the council of governors’ membership engagement and communications committee, said in the letter: “I believe officials on six-figure salaries continue to mislead, obfuscate, bully and conceal vital information. I consider the way the trust communicates internally and externally to be completely unacceptable and utterly untrustworthy.

“Without the valiant efforts of the brave families caught up in a tragedy of the trust’s making, the world may never have found out about the disastrous health failings at our trust.”

In the letter to chair Niall Dickson, Mr Lister says he has seen a continuation “of the same apparent policy of manipulation and discrediting dissenting voices that existed prior to the scandal”.

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Source: HSJ, 19 October 2022