Published at 11:10, Thursday, 09 August 2012

HOSPITALS boss Neil Goodwin has defended a decision to keep him on AFTER the new chief executive starts.

MP Tony Cunningham had written to the health secretary calling for answers after it emerged the interim boss – who currently earns £1,750 a day – would not be cutting ties with the hospital trust once its new chief takes over.

But Dr Goodwin says his involvement after standing down as interim chief executive will be “very minimal” and from a distance.

The North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital, is in the process of being taken over due to long-running financial problems. The deal, with Northumbria Healthcare, isn’t to go through until December but following patient safety fears new management is being brought in.

Ann Farrar, a director from Northumbria, is to take charge on a temporary basis from August 13 – when Dr Goodwin’s role will end. But the north Cumbrian trust said he would be staying on to oversee the takeover.

In a reply to the MP, Dr Goodwin said: “The principal reason for me remaining is to ensure, on behalf of the board, that Northumbria avoid any potential conflicts of interest – both managing the trust at the same time as completing the acquisition process.

“You will appreciate it is not possible to hand over £220m of NHS assets to another organisation without due process.

“I anticipate my ongoing input post my departure to be very minimal.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk