It has been announced that East Kent Hospitals Trust chairman Niall Dickson, CBE, leaves his role by December 31.
Mr Dickson, who became the chairman in April 2021, had taken a voluntary period of absence in October,
He says he has decided not to seek a second term and is standing down for personal and health reasons.
He said: “This is an organisation filled with dedicated and committed staff who give so much day in day out and I am confident that with the right support the Trust will continue its improvement journey.
“I am pleased that we have made progress on key areas during my tenure, including significant improvements in staffing, in our maternity care, in listening to and involving patients and by taking steps to create a more open culture.
“The challenges laid out by Dr Kirkup’s report last year are significant and, as we have always said, apply not just to maternity but to the organisation as a whole. There are also great demands on our services.
“This improvement work will take at least another three or four years and will require every effort from the whole Board, the Governors and every member of staff at the Trust, as well as focused support from the NHS centrally, including the capital funding it needs to provide safe, effective and sustainable services to the people of East Kent.
“It will also require dedicated teamwork from all health and care staff and their organisations across East Kent. I have been privileged to chair our Health and Care Partnership and I must pay tribute to everyone involved in that endeavour, which is starting to make a real difference.”
Vice-chair Stewart Baird is stepping into the Chair role until a permanent successor is appointed.
This month the Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued a warning notice to East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust saying it must make immediate improvements in three services following an inspection in July.
CQC carried out an unannounced focused inspection of the trust’s urgent and emergency department (ED), medical care (including older people’s services) and children and young people services at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate and the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. Inspectors also looked at the management and leadership of the trust overall.
The inspection was undertaken as part of continual checks on the safety and quality of healthcare services and to check on the progress of improvements the trust was told to make at a previous inspection.
Last year an independent report into maternity failings at QEQM and William Harvey Hospitals found 45 baby deaths could have been avoided.
The report, led by Dr Bill Kirkup and published in October 2022, reviewed the circumstances of maternity deaths at the East Kent Hospitals Trust sites in between 2009 and 2020 in response to a concerning number of avoidable baby deaths.
Issues with maternity were brought into the spotlight following the death of baby Harry Richford at Margate’s QEQM Hospital in 2017 after a series of errors.
The hospitals trust is among the “most challenged” in the country, as it faces a deficit of nearly £70m.
The financial troubles of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) are so severe it remains under NHS England oversight, with bosses calling in independent consultants to explain the reasons behind their struggles.
