08.03.18
King’s College hit with second major blow as CEO steps down
The chief executive of King’s College Hospital NHS FT (KCH) has announced his resignation today – just months after the trust’s chair, Lord Kerslake, stepped down in protest of continued underfunding.
Nick Moberly has been CEO at KCH since August 2015 but has now chosen to resign from the trust, which is under serious financial pressure, with a near-£100m deficit.
In a statement, a King’s College spokesperson thanked Moberly for his work and confirmed that he will be leaving his position at the end of April.
“Nick was appointed in August 2015 and during his tenure the trust has witnessed some notable successes as well as experienced significant challenges,” the spokesperson said.
“Under his leadership King’s played a critical role in London’s response to the three major incidents last year. The trust continues to deliver some of the best patient outcomes nationally and is at the vanguard of research and innovations that have improved both patient treatment and care.”
While the reasons for Moberly’s resignation have not been made clear, commentators have speculated that it could be related to increased pressure on the trust or the clear financial problems it faces.
NHS Improvement placed KCH into financial special measures in December of last year, just a day after Kerslake announced his plans to leave.
The regulator had initially agreed a budget deficit of £38m for 2017-18 but, in October, officials formerly worsened the prediction to £70m, with the number then dropping to a huge £92m – thus doubling the deficit within months.
Kerslake said his decision was meant to highlight the lack of understanding by the government and regulators over the massive pressures faced by trusts.
The move drew national attention, with NHS Confederation CEO Niall Dickson calling on the government to react to Kerslake’s complaints and face the problems of underfunding.
Top image: Andy Hepburn PA Wire PA Images
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