Decision to sack ex-health boss is upheld

The decision to sack a former health boss after she allegedly tried to cover up damaging details of a patient's death has been upheld.

Kate Levy was Trust Board secretary of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and head of legal services.

She was dismissed on June 11 this year after her involvement in a report on the death of John Moore-Robinson was exposed by the independent inquiry into Stafford Hospital.

She allegedly asked a consultant to delete sections of the report to the coroner in a bid to avoid any bad publicity and further upset for the family.

Mr Moore-Robinson died on April 2005 after doctors failed to diagnose a ruptured spleen after he was injured in a mountain bike accident on Cannock Chase.

Sir Stephen Moss, chairman of the trust said an appeal hearing took place yesterday.

"The conclusion of the hearing was that the original decision to dismiss Miss Levy should be upheld.

"The trust would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our sincere regret that the actions of our staff caused additional distress to the family of John Moore-Robinson and we hope that today's decision demonstrates our determination to hold our staff to account for their actions. "

Sir Stephen himself phoned Mr Moore-Robinson's parents Frank and Janet Robinson in Coalville, Leicestershire, to tell them of the decision. Mr Robinson said: "As far as we are concerned she has got her just desserts.

"We are now in the process of drawing up plans for an application to the courts for John's inquest verdict to be quashed and a new inquest held."

The couple had reported lawyer Miss Levy to the Bar Standards Council and the Solicitors' Regulation Authority and an investigation is under way.

Mr Robinson said they hoped Miss Levy would not go ahead with taking her dismissal to an Employment Tribunal.

"We are happy with what the trust has done and hope she will take it on the chin and lie down," he added.

The trust appointed an independent person, Michael Taylor, to carry out an investigation into the way in which Miss Levy handled the case of Mr Moore-Robinson following his death.