FOUR non-executive directors of crisis-hit Southern Health have left the organisation.

The departure of the quartet – Jon Allen, Malcolm Berryman, Judith Smyth and Trevor Spires, was announced yesterday.

They were heavily criticised over alleged failings in their role overseeing Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust during the scandal that saw it fail to properly investigate hundreds of deaths of patients.

The scandal saw the protracted and ignominious departure of chief executive Katrina Percy.

A fifth non-executive director Tracey Faraday-Drake resigned earlier this month.

Longstanding critic of Southern Geoff Hill, from Southampton, said: “This is news that bereaved families, service users and other campaigners have been waiting for for 12 months and their resignations were long overdue.

“At the last boards meeting several people asked the non-executive directors to find their consciences and possibly some of them have.

“It’s one of a number of major changes that I understand will be announced over the next month or two.”

Andy Moore, county councillor for Eastleigh East, said: “ Last year I asked for the managing director to resign. I also had not confidence in the existing director and I am pleased that all four now resigned for the benefit of patients.”

Southern declined to discuss the resignations other than to issue a statement from interim trust chairman, Alan Yates.

It said the trust had completed a strategic review of its services and "identified the benefits of much greater inclusion of service users and carers in the organisation as well as the delivery of its services.

“It is clear to us all that the trust leadership will need to look quite different if it is to meet the needs of patients and service users, as well as its stakeholders in the future.

“They (the board) have also fully supported me as I try to develop a Board with the skills specific to these new strategic tasks. As a consequence, four non-executive directors have this week jointly offered their resignation from their posts so that the governors can, with my help, recruit to the need for all five new non-executive directors.

"The trust will also need to recruit a new Chair. I was appointed for a fixed term and plan to cease the role at the beginning of July or sooner if my replacement can be appointed earlier.

"I will discuss these matters with the Council of Governors as soon as possible and together we will identify the additional skills and experience we require to implement our new strategic priorities. We will recruit to these new roles as quickly as possible and I am grateful to my colleagues that they have offered to continue to serve and ensure continuity of Trust governance until that is the case."

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