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LETTERS TO THE NHS APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION
17th June 2003
Ms Jane Isaacs, Commissioner West Midlands
NHS Appointments Commission
Dear Ms Isaacs
Re Mr B Stoten, Chairman University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire Trust
For about a decade now, it has been hard to believe what the executive and non-executive board members have been doing at our Trust. Hopes for improvements after recent changes precipitated by the alarming findings of CHI have not been realised. The effect is that the local community just does not trust their NHS Trust.
The Trust Chairman, Mr Stoten, appears to have unilaterally redefined his statutory duties and behaves more like a Marketing Manager and Press Officer. I was appalled by his claim that the very serious matters that I recently raised about significant irregularities in the conduct and actions of the Trust Executives are not part of his remit. I enclose my recent correspondence regarding this.
Please advise the community if we are mistaken about his role as our advocate and one who instils confidence in the community through transparency and fairness of all procedures that are used. His remit includes, monitoring the actions and performance of the executive and holding them to account, and ensuring that they are compliant with relevant legislature and procedures. To relinquish these responsibilities to the executive, and to also leave them to investigate themselves, is improper and reflects disinterest in serving the community's interests.
The Executive has committed dreadful violations of procedures, employment law, the human rights act, race relations act, and many more during Mr Stoten's incumbency. In spite of being notified of them, he has remained unwilling to intervene and correct these. His manifest lack of interest in the local community, poor knowledge of his role, and inability to serve as our advocate reveals his unsuitability to serve in his post.
I am sure that as the person responsible for appointment of the Chairman and Board of Trustees you take your responsibilities very seriously, as their poor performance will also reflect upon you and the commission. I hope that you will intervene and remedy the situation or at least advise me about this dreadful issue.
Yours sincerely,
Mr S Nahar
Cc: Dr J Reid, Mr A Blair PM, Mr I Duncan-Smith MP, Mr C Kennedy MP, MP, Dr L Fox MP, Dr E Harris MP, Mr R Ainsworth MP, Mr J Cunningham MP, Mr G Robinson MP, Mr A King MP, Mr W Olner MP, Mr M O'Brien MP, Mr J Plaskitt MP, Mrs C Spellman MP, Mr J Maples MP, NHS Appointments Commission, NAO, DoH
5th July 2003
Mrs Jane Isaacs, Commissioner West Midlands
NHS Appointments Commission
Dear Mrs Isaacs
Re Mr B Stoten, Chairman University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire Trust
I write further to Ms Hutchinson's acknowledgement of 20th June 2003 as I have yet to receive your response to my letter of 17th June 2003. I was saddened to see further evidence of Mr Stoten's failure to carry out his duties as Chairman in the local paper this week. On Thursday 3rd July the front page of the Coventry Evening Telegraph reported "Leading Walsgrave Doc Quits Over Mattu Conspiracy".
Why has Mr Stoten allowed the executive managers at our Trust to continue the environment of intimidation and fear criticised by CHI which has led to Dr Peter Mulrooney, the head of the senior consultants at the hospital, quitting his job? Why has he permitted his executive to invent procedures to deal with the allegations against Dr Mattu? Why has he not ensured that the investigations into patient deaths raised publicly by Dr Mattu were properly completed by his executive Trust managers? Moreover, when he has been notified of serious procedural violations, he has shown neither the interest nor ability to remedy them.
I hope that you will agree that the staff at our NHS Trust, the patients and the people of Coventry deserve a Chairman who will take responsibility for his actions and hold the executive managers to account for their mistreatment of Dr Mattu, equal opportunities for all and address procedural breaches. This dreadful state cannot be allowed to continue. I would urge you to intervene on this matter and will await your response to my letters.
Yours sincerely,
Mr S Nahar
Cc: Dr J Reid, Mr A Blair PM, Mr I Duncan-Smith MP, Mr C Kennedy MP, MP, Dr L Fox MP, Dr E Harris MP, Mr R Ainsworth MP, Mr J Cunningham MP, Mr G Robinson MP, Mr A King MP, Mr W Olner MP, Mr M O'Brien MP, Mr J Plaskitt MP, Mrs C Spellman MP, Mr J Maples MP, NHS Appointments Commission, NAO, DoH
7th July 2003
Mrs Jane Isaacs
NHS Appointments Commission
Dear Mrs Isaacs,
We understand that the appointment of a new Chair is imminent on our NHS Trust Board at our Hospitals. This much needed and important opportunity for improvements occur in the shadows of a high profile Consultant resignation, by the Chair of the senior consultants, over the way in which our Trust is managed and the failures of our existing Chair.
We welcome this new Chair, and regrettably record a very serious matter, previously raised by over 35,000 members of the local community, some of who may wish to write to you directly. Not only are we registering a formal complaint about our current Chairman, but we also wish to urge the appointment of a more able Chair, that is responsive to and truly wishes to serve the interest of the local community and its health needs.
Our complaints about the existing Chairman are borne out of his arrogant disregard for the need to engage local people and address their concerns, disinterest in ensuring that there are equal opportunities and care for all staff and patients at the hospital and unwillingness to scrutinise the Executive and monitor their adherence to procedures.
Mr Bryan Stoten has consistently chosen to ignore evidence that has been put before him about irregularities at our Trust and the persecution of senior staff by the Executive. Instead, he has regurgitated the claims and denials of the Executive, without ever looking into these matters. Now the Chair of Senior Consultants clearly shows Mr Stoten as wrong.
Moreover, there are extremely serious concerns about Mr Stoten's integrity, because he has repeatedly misled the public and health agencies. His constant deliberate misinformation can no longer be afforded the generosity of being due to his obvious incompetence. The extent and nature of his intentional dissemination of mistruths has led local people to reach a dim view about his honesty.
It will therefore come as absolutely no surprise that Mr Stoten has lost the confidence of the local community, especially those from ethnic and under-privileged backgrounds. Thus, we appeal to the appointments panel and DoH to ensure that a better able, more caring Chair, with greater integrity and morals is appointed. We could not afford another Chair that believes that their primary role is to be a press/ spin officer, at whatever cost.
Yours sincerely,
Mr KS Purewal
Cc+ enc MPs, councillors, Department of Health, CRE, NHS Executive, Appts Commission.
