East Sussex Healthcare Trust chairman to ‘stay’

The trust has gone into special measures after a CQC report published yesterday (September 22) revealed it was ‘inadequate’.

Stuart Welling was urged to quit following the trust’s last ‘inadequate’ inspection in March.

However, he has stayed in position despite a vote of ‘no confidence’ in his leadership by members of East Sussex County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee – and is planning to stay on until a new chairman can be appointed.

A spokesman for the trust said: “The health service regulator that oversees East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, the NHS Trust Development Authority, extended the Chairman’s term when his four year tenure was up in July. With the recent resignation of the chief executive it was sensible to make sure the organisation had some continuity and stability in its leadership at this time.

“Stuart Welling agreed with the TDA in July that in order to give some stability and continuity to the trust he would stay until a new chair is appointed.

“The TDA is progressing the appointments process for a successor chairman and Stuart Welling will stay in post until a new chair joins the trust.”

Chief executive Darren Grayson resigned from his position in July.

Speaking at the time, he said: “We have made a good start for our patients but there is much work still to do and this needs both a fresh focus and a long-term commitment to continuity that, after 14 years already as a chief executive in the NHS, I can’t give at this stage in my career.”

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