Second public sector resignation as ambulance chief steps down

Ambulance staff have rallied to the defence of their outgoing chief executive after his tenure was criticised by a Labour MEP. The East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) announced last Friday evening that Robert Morton was leaving the role he had held since August 2015, prompting comment from Alex Mayer that he had overseen “three chaotic years”.

The Labour MEP, who was also critical of government funding for the NHS, added: “I welcome the resignation and hope that a new chief executive can be found swiftly who will put the concerns of staff and patients at the heart of every decision. “Our ambulance service can and must do better. Patients deserve it and so do our hardworking paramedics.” However, ambulance staff took to Twitter to hit back at the criticism of Mr Morton, who is leaving after a difficult winter for the service which saw three people come to “severe harm” due to ambulance delays. Diane Dingley, who has worked for the service for 10 years, tweeted: “Another groundless and uneducated comment from the uninterested ....... get your facts straight before you make statements in future. “@EEASTCEO will be sorely missed by the staff and will be a hard act to follow!” Ashley Richardson, an ambulance service clinical lead in Cambridgeshire, said: “I feel that you have a misguided understanding of the challenges that face the staff of the ambulance Trust - politicians should work alongside the organisations that support the constituency.” The official Twitter feed for the ambulance service’s Emergency Operations Centres said: “The CEO of over 4500 staff, countless volunteers, 6 counties... @EEASTCEO will walk away with head held high, he will be sadly missed and hard to replace, but then we’re just “call takers” and “ambulance drivers” in the eyes of the uninitiated...”

Mr Morton himself tweeted: “@EastEnglandAmb not contacted by @alexlmayer since becoming an MEP. 4500 staff & 2000 volunteers helped 1.6m patients last year. If she has concerns, she hasn’t told us directly or through union partners. Will write to Alex to ask what her concerns are @GMB_union @UnisonEeas.”

The ambulance service was recently rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ following an inspection, and the Peterborough Telegraph has documented the long waits for ambulances some patients in the city have experienced.

In a statement to the media, ambulance service chair Sarah Boulton said Mr Morton left a “great legacy”. She added: “For three years Robert has successfully secured long-lasting changes on behalf of patients and staff. Together, we have found a talented and steadfast board to lead a wider team to deliver those improvements. “The biggest achievement of the board he built was to secure a six-year contract with our commissioners. This means we can recruit more staff over the next three years and increase the numbers of ambulances we have on the roads.”

Mr Morton said: “While I feel privileged to be the chief executive of EEAST my future plans mean I cannot commit to a further three years. I feel this is the right time to hand over to someone else.”

Mr Morton’s leaving date has not yet been confirmed.

Robert Morton