NHSE intervenes at governance crisis trust

NHS England has formally intervened over governance failures at a trust whose chair resigned after “exceeding her authority” by suspending its chief executive.

NHS England told East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust it was taking action because of “leadership and board instability and the impact of recent events on the working relationship between the wider board members and the council of governors”.

It was “imperative that a strong and stable board and executive leadership team [are] in place… to set direction, manage and respond to the range and scale of the issues currently faced”, according to a letter on Tuesday from regional director Anne Eden.

NHSE told the trust to “ensure that the board is equipped with the right leadership skills, experience and capacity to oversee all elements of organisational governance, financial delivery, quality of care and operational delivery”.

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Source: HSJ, 29 April 2026