Under-fire Russells Hall Hospital boss to step down
The chair of governors at the trust that runs Russells Hall Hospital is to step down in the wake of serious failings in the hospital's A&E department.
Jenni Ord, chair of The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, says she will leave the position she has held for the last three years by the end of April "to regain a better work life balance".
Russells Hall Hospital's A&E department was rated 'inadequate' in a scathing report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), prompting MPs in the borough to call for Ms Ord to resign.
In a statement she said: “Taking everything into account I do feel it is the right time for me to regain a better work life balance and to provide an opportunity for a successor to carry forward the future development of the trust.
“It has been a privilege to work with everyone in Dudley and I have enjoyed each and every day, both the highs and the lows,” she added.
“I appreciate the fact that I have had the support of board colleagues, governors and staff over the last three years and this, above all, is what I value most.”
Dudley South MP Mike Wood said: "This is clearly for the best for Dudley's hospitals as well as for Jenni personally.
"I look forward to working with the new chair as they bring in the new leadership that the trust needs to deliver the consistently high quality of care that local people that local people deserve and the hospital's staff care so passionately about delivering."
Ms Ord was reappointed as trust chair last Autumn, despite concerns over her ability to deal with a series of failings, including poor levels of patient care an unexpected deaths.
Last year Russells Hall Hospital received four enforcement action notices from the CQC over the safety of its emergency department, while a report into whistleblowing claims against the trust's executive directors is due to be published in the coming weeks.
A new chair is set to be appointed following Ms Ord's departure.
