FOUR non-executive directors of a NHS trust have collectively quit the cash-strapped organisation.
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Dewsbury District Hospital among others, has to save £24m in the next financial year.
The trust is considering centralising emergency, acute medicine and maternity services at one site.
Now four non-executive directors have quit over the impact of financial cuts at the trust.
They are Anita Fatchett, David Longstaff, Dr Margaret Faull and Iain Wilkinson.
In a statement David Stone, the interim chairman of the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said he understood the reason for their decision.
“The non executive directors felt unable to remain in office after considering the continuing impact of the poor financial performance of the trust in 2011/12.
“Investigations conducted over the last few months have confirmed that the finances of the trust were considerably worse than had been reported to the board and that the trust is unable to meet the previously agreed plan to achieve Foundation Trust status by April 2014.”
Kirklees politician Robert Light has voiced his concerns over the future of the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust.
And he has called on Kirklees Council to do everything in its power to secure the future of the Dewsbury District Hospital and the range of services it provides to North Kirklees residents.
Since becoming part of the Mid Yorkshire Trust over 10 years ago Dewsbury Hospital has faced crisis after crisis with the threat of loss of services never far away.
Kirklees Tory leader Clr Light said: “I believe just another financial bailout from the Government is not the solution as this will still require the future budget deficit to be balanced.
“Given the last Government allowed the trust to sign up to very expensive PFI contracts to redevelop Pinderfields and Pontefract Hospitals, which the trust now can’t afford, this would still result in future major reductions in services in Dewsbury which are unacceptable.”
