Foundation hospital stands by chief
A flagship foundation hospital is challenging the industry regulator’s decision to sack its chairman after the trust was plunged into millions of pounds of debt.
John Ryan was yesterday removed from his position at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust by the regulator, Monitor.
Within three months of achieving foundation status, the trust was plunged into £4 million of debt.
Forecasts now put the deficit at more than £11.3 million compared to the trust’s original forecast of a £2.4 million surplus.
A statement from Monitor yesterday said that the dismissal of Mr Ryan followed “extensive discussions” with the trust since August and an external investigation into its financial situation.
It said the trust had not responded “appropriately” to its financial difficulties and its recovery plan had not provided a “credible or adequate response” to the problem.
“We have concluded that the range of challenges facing the trust requires a change in leadership,” said Monitor chairman William Moyes.
However, the trust is now challenging Monitor’s decision and last night passed a vote of confidence in Mr Ryan.
Marsha Singh, MP for Bradford West, wrote to Monitor last week in a pre-emptive effort to ward off Mr Ryan’s dismissal.
She said that Mr Ryan had led the hospital to the three-star rating it required to apply for foundation status and has the confidence of the staff.
“If there were any problems they were of financial accountability and the finance director has gone. This is simply Monitor unnecessarily flexing its muscles again,” she added.
Peter Garland, a former regional director for the NHS, has been appointed interim chairman of the trust in Mr Ryan’s place.
Health Secretary John Reid last week denied that the problems at the hospital caused an “imminent” threat to patient services or that it represented a failure in the foundation hospital system.
