The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Hospitals trust head to stay another year
THE boss of Peterborough’s hospital trust has announced that he will continue in the role for a further year after previously deciding to step down.
Nigel Hards announced his departure as chairman of the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in March, after spending four years at the helm.
But in a surprise move yesterday, the trust announced that Mr Hards had offered to continue in the post for a further 12 months while the trust continues to look for a new chairman.
Mark Bush, lead governor for the trust, said: “I am very pleased to announce that Mr Hards has offered to continue in his role as chairman.
“He has been giving serious con- sideration to the timing of the end of his term of office and how that corresponded to the trust’s position.
Mr Bush added: “His offer to extend his term with the trust af- fords us the opportunity to develop a clear and robust transition to a new chairman while we continue to work through our turnaround plan.”
He said: “The hospitals trust will continue its work to identify a successor to the chairman role.”
Mr Hards (62) previously said that he was stepping down from the role in order to gain a better balance between his work and personal life.
Mr Hards spent the first 13 years of his career in international banking before working at the Peterborough-based holiday giant Thomas Cook for 22 years, eventually becoming chief executive.
His time at the trust has featured highs and lows, with Mr Hards ranking improvements in waiting times for surgery and in A&E, as well as the successful transition to Peterborough City Hospital (PCH) among the best things achieved during his stay.
But he also inherited a massive Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract used to build the new hospital.
This contract contributed to the current financial problems faced by the trust, which ended the last financial year £46.5 million in deficit.