§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions he has had with the North West Regional Health Authority on the appointment of independent investigators to report on administration of the Guild Community Trust Preston during 1998 and 1999; and if he will make a statement; [85139]
(2) in what ways he involved the Chairman of the North West Regional Health Authority in seeking the resignations of the non-executive directors of the Guild Community Trust Preston;[85224]
(3) if he will list the grounds on which he dismissed the Board of the Guild Community Trust Preston; [85223]
(4) if he will list those occasions on which the non-executive directors of the Guild Community Trust Preston sought advice on the way the trust was being run from the North West Regional Health Authority; and what advice was given; [85136]
(5) if he will publish the correspondence between his Department, the North West Regional Health Authority and the Chief Executive of the Guild Community Trust Preston during 1998 and 1999 on the Chief Executive's administration of the trust during this period; [85137]
(6) if he will list the (a) meetings and (b) communications between his Department and the Chief Executive of the Guild Community Trust Preston during 1998 and 1999 and state the reasons for each of those meetings and communications; [85138]
(7) what reports his Department has received on the administration of the Guild Community Trust Preston in its last two years; and what were their conclusions. [85140]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 25 May 1999]: A mental health report which appeared in the summer of 1998 raised concerns about the management of Guild Community Healthcare NHS Trust and, specifically, its Chief Executive. The Trust Board, after consultation with the NHS Executive North West, took the decision to suspend the Chief Executive and commission an independent panel to investigate his management style.
The independent Galbraith Report was presented to the non-executive team in December 1998. It concluded that there had been a clear and significant loss of confidence in the trust's Chief Executive and that his position had become untenable. Then the Chairman of the Trust resigned. I have received briefings from the North West Regional Office of the NHS about the investigation which was commissioned by, and reported to, the Guild Trust Board.
The circumstances at the Guild Trust, Preston were the subject of letters, e-mails, telephone and face-to-face conversations involving non-executive directors of the trust, officials at the NHS North West Regional Office and officials in my Department over a lengthy period.
In May the non-executive directors of the Guild Trust were asked to resign in the best interests of the NHS and the staff and patients of the trust because there had been an irreversible breakdown in relations with one another. Two agreed to resign and I dismissed the three who refused.
415WThe Chairman of the North West Region of the NHS, who is my representative in these matters, was involved at all stages in my consideration of the situation at the Guild Trust and my decision to seek the resignations of the non-executive directors.
The Department, including the NHS Executive North West, communicates on a regular basis with NHS Trusts about management issues. The extent and diversity of these contacts make it impractical to compile a definitive list.