Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
As A&E crisis mounts
‘I think he will not be the last person to leave the trust’
resignation would have been endorsed by NHS Improvement, the public body which oversees the performance of NHS trusts.
Chairman Ken Rogers said: “Mr Kershaw’s departure is an indication of how NHS Improvement has reacted to the news that A&E figures have not improved.
“He was undoubtedly asked by them to go and rightly so. It was inevitable that moving services from Canterbury would make the pressure on the hospitals at Ashford and Margate unbearable, with a collapse of the service very soon.
“I think he will not be the last person to leave the trust. The trust chairman should take some responsibility for not stopping the rot, as should some of the governors for not speaking out.
“It is clear we need to get services back to Canterbury and cancel any consultation on services in the near future until much better plans emerge.”
North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale does not buy the idea that Mr Kershaw’s departure from east Kent was forced.
“I think he’s been given the opportunity to join the King’s Fund, which is pretty prestigious, and taken it,” the Conservative said.
“I was speaking to Matthew very recently and he certainly gave me no inkling that he would soon be leaving.
“I wish him well. He has been a good chief executive and tried to do the right things.
“We now need to find a very good replacement for him as the trust faces ongoing challenges, and difficult decisions need to be taken, not least about the location of services.
“Whoever takes it on will at least do so knowing their first brief will be to sort out the location of services. They will have to be fairly brave and bold, because it’s not an easy task.”
Canterbury and Whitstable Labour MP Rosie Duffield failed to respond to requests for a comment on Mr Kershaw’s resignation and the future of hospital services in east Kent.
Liz Shutler, deputy chief executive and director of strategic development, will take over as acting chief executive until a formal appointment is made.