The chair of a foundation trust has resigned after a tribunal found he unfairly forced out its former CEO, because she raised concerns about his bullying behaviour.
Susan Gilby was CEO of the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust from 2018 until she was suspended and excluded from the premises in December 2022.
The events unfolded at a hugely consequential time for the hospital. Dr Gilby, a former intensive care consultant, joined as medical director in August 2018. But she was made acting CEO shortly after, when her predecessor Tony Chambers was forced to leave, amid a rift with paediatricians and others over the Lucy Letby case.
As she approached four years as CEO, the tribunal found Dr Gilby was the subject of a coordinated campaign instigated by chair Ian Haythornthwaite and carried out by chief people officer Nicola Price and two non-executives. The campaign was dubbed “Project Countess” and was “designed to protect the [chair] and manoeuvre [Dr Gilby] out of the trust”.
It was launched after Dr Gilby began raising concerns with directors in spring 2022 about Mr Haythornthwaite’s “confrontational and aggressive behaviour”.
The tribunal commented on Mr Haythornthwaite becoming angry with junior staff about the refurbishment of the trust offices while the “struggling organisation” faced “an erosion of public faith” in the trust against the backdrop of “a multiple murder inquiry”. This, it said, was “indicative of a chair prioritising his own self-interest above that of the trust and failing to work collaboratively with the CEO and staff”.
Mr Haythornwaite joined the trust in 2021. COCH this evening said he had ”taken the decision to step down with immediate effect”.
He said in a statement: “I have made this decision in the best interests of the trust so that the focus of the organisation can continue to be on delivering the best possible care to patients.”
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Source: HSJ, 14 February 2025
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