Hospital bosses at centre of behaviour probe should consider their positions - MP
Two hospital bosses in the Black Country should consider whether they should continue in their roles after they were told to apologise following an NHS probe, an MP has said.
Walsall Manor Hospital's interim chief executive David Loughton and trust chairman Steve Field were both reprimanded over their behaviour after taking on the senior roles last year.
Mr Loughton was said to have described board members in Walsall as "useless" whilst Mr Field reportedly said he was "ashamed" to be the chair of the trust, the investigation found.
Both men took up the roles in Walsall alongside their current jobs at the NHS trust which runs New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, where they are chief executive and trust chairman.
Dr Kathy McLean, who led the investigation, concluded Mr Loughton behaved "poorly and inappropriately" whilst joint chairman Mr Field was "complicit" and failed to address the behaviour.
Now Valerie Vaz, MP for Walsall South, said she was "alarmed" by the findings of the report and that they continued to hold their roles at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust after its findings.
She said: "I am alarmed by the conclusions of the McLean Report on the behaviour of Professor Loughton and Professor Field and that they continue to preside over Walsall Manor Hospital.
"This adds to concerns raised by whistleblowers and staff. Professors Loughton and Field have implemented a restructuring of governance at Walsall and Wolverhampton hospitals, creating a new model on the hoof, with no consultation with staff, patients and local stakeholders, including myself.
"The care of my constituents who are served by the manor is of utmost importance. Professor Loughton and Professor Field should consider whether they should continue in these roles given the findings of the report.”
Both men have said they were "sorry if this has caused offence" and admitted they had not always got things right while "wanting to make improvements quickly" – and they were "driven by a passion to ensure the highest possible standards of care for the people we serve".
The concerns were raised through the Freedom to Speak Up scheme and other whistle-blowing procedures. It comes six years after Mr Loughton faced calls to resign from whistleblowers.
Dr Raj Mattu, a leading heart surgeon, was suspended by Mr Loughton while chief executive at Coventry Walsgrave Hospital after exposing how two patients died in overcrowded bays. Dr Mattu was awarded £1.2 million in damages after being wrongly accused of fraud, sexual inpropriety and assault.
Meanwhile a report in 2016 found whistleblower Sandra Haynes-Kirkbright was treated unfairly by the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust after she reported concerns about malpractice.
It was said Mr Loughton did not – as he should have – initiate a whistleblowing investigation and he "instructed two of his executive directors to ensure that her concerns did not interfere" with a visit from a health watchdog.
An investigation into Professor Loughton and Professor Field at the Walsall trust said the former allegedly referred to executives and non-executive directors as "useless" and he was found to be undermining.
Meanwhile cash was said to have been allocated despite no funding stream having been found, with Mr Loughton said to have told the director of finance "didn’t you listen to me? I told you I had sorted the money".
The report found he was straight talking and direct but at times this was perceived to have stepped beyond respectful, and there was a view open debate "was felt to be stifled" with the health chief not thought to welcome people questioning his decisions.
Mr Loughton, however, was praised for bringing "pace and clarity of direction, with a focus on patient safety and quality" since taking over in Walsall but the report concluded that "the manner of some of his interactions with senior colleagues falls short of those expected when considered against the NHS values, those set out in the People Promise and the values agreed by Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust."
Meanwhile chairman Mr Field was said to have been "communicative" and engaging but concerns were raised that he had exaggerated the challenges facing the trust, reportedly saying "if I knew what I know now I would not have taken the job" and that he was "ashamed to call himself chair of Walsall".
Staff said his behaviour changed once Mr Loughton was appointed and that he was not supportive while Mr Loughton was not listening. Mr Field seemed "brusque or direct" and board members felt they weren't respected, the probe found.
