HEALTH secretary Jeremy Hunt is facing calls to kick former hospital boss Phil Morley out of the NHS after a damning report into his leadership in Hull.
The report by the Trust Development Authority (TDA) raised serious concerns over Mr Morley's leadership, the effectiveness of his senior executives and directors, the safety of patients and the care of the elderly.
It also exposes a failure in holding senior executives to account, the need for more transparency and an inability to turn ideas into tangible plans.
Now, Hull's hospital bosses, many appointed following Mr Morley's departure, have been left to clear up the mess at a time when they should be free to concentrate on the extreme pressures facing its emergency department.
Hull's Labour MPs Alan Johnson, Diana Johnson and Karl Turner are calling for an urgent meeting with the health secretary to discuss Mr Morley's time in Hull.
However, Mr Hunt has still not responded, despite the letter being sent by the MPs almost two months ago.
Mr Johnson said: "People admire the NHS, but when there is a problem in management, it seems the person is just moved on somewhere else rather than the issue being tackled.
"I am confident we are on a better footing at the trust now, but question marks remain over Phil Morley.
"There are all the things we want to talk to Jeremy Hunt about and this report puts extra emphasis on that."
Conservative Councillor Mike Whitehead, who has met the Secretary of State to discuss his concerns, said Mr Morley should be removed from his current position as chief executive of Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in Essex.
"I don't believe Mr Morley can continue in the NHS," he said. "This has to be properly investigated."
NHS campaigner Dermot Rathbone said: "There needs to be an investigation, but we feel it is part of a wider systemic failure within the NHS.
"We need to ask if this is prevalent across the NHS and there should be more robust scrutiny of trusts."
The TDA report, conducted by Sir Ian Carruthers, had been held up as the smoking gun that had forced Mr Morley's departure.
But, ten months on from its review, its report did little more than confirm what everyone knew.
The 12-page report, full of sweeping statements with minimal detail, was published at a board meeting yesterday.
It called for greater involvement of doctors, previously hamstrung by bureaucracy rather than being given the freedom to solve problems.
It also revealed a high turnover of senior executives, a focus on targets instead of patients, a lack of clarity over senior roles and a weakness in governance during Mr Morley's reign.
The TDA is coming under fire for publishing a "sanitised" version of its review.
Councillor Whitehead said: "We have an old report that has been so sanitised that it has become absolutely meaningless.
"I am calling for them to release the original report and let us have the full unexpurgated version of what has been going on."
While brief in detail, the TDA report exposes serious failings at the trust under Mr Morley's stewardship.
Yet, despite the concerns, Mr Morley, who once dressed up as Superman and danced down corridors to Amarillo to bolster staff morale, was free to take up the top job at another trust, also monitored by the TDA.
Key members of his team, including chief nurse Amanda Pye and deputy chief executive Morag Olsen, also followed Mr Morley out the door into new senior NHS roles.
At the trust board meeting yesterday, acting chairman Dr Keith Hopkins, who stepped in following the departure of board chairman Rob Deri at the end of last year, said an action plan had come into force.
Dr Hopkins, retiring from his temporary role at the end of the year ahead of the appointment of a new chairman, said: "I would say, alongside the criticisms, there are some positive signs of progress.
"There were a number of things that occurred as a consequence of that report and we have found a way forward in the best interest of the trust."
Many of the concerns raised by the TDA had already come to light in a report by the Care Quality Commission after inspectors uncovered a culture of bullying and failings in leadership during visits to Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital earlier this year.
It was confirmed by conciliation service ACAS, which accused Mr Morley and his senior executives of fostering a target-driven culture which encouraged nepotism, bullying and intimidation of staff.
Work is already under way to tackle the problems and the appointment of new chief executive Chris Long in September, working alongside chief medical officer Professor Ian Philp and new key executives, has been seen as a positive step in ushering in a new era at the trust.
Mr Long said: "We have a huge responsibility in terms of being clear about our vision and setting the future direction of travel for the organisation and everybody in it.
"A number of changes have taken place and we hope to see the make-up of our board complemented shortly by the appointment of a new chair and non-executive directors.
"This will give us a fresh opportunity to refocus, to ensure our senior team is clear on its roles and responsibilities and to ensure we work more effectively in support of our staff, our patients and our partners."
Chief officer Emma Latimer, of Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which pays the trust for patient care, said: "We will continue to work with the trust to ensure the service improvements and changes recommended by the TDA review are implemented and national targets for patient care are met."
Jane Hawkard, chief officer of East Riding CCG, said: "We are committed to working with the new trust board to implement the recommendations and hope to see rapid improvements in outcomes for both patients and staff."
