MP comments of Dr Eddie Kane's resignation as chair of crisis hit Hospital Trust

On hearing news that Professor Eddie Kane has decided to stand down as Chair of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, local MP Tim Farron commented:

"Eddie is committed to the NHS and I have worked closely with him on the campaign to bring cancer services to Westmorland General and for that I want to pay tribute to him. But this departure signals a hospital trust lurching from one crisis to another without a clear direction. This follows shortly after the departure of Steve Vaughan. Losing two people in senior positions in a week is a symptom of something much more serious - and it is not a credible alternative to actually solving the problems that the Trust has created!

"Some will say that 'heads must roll', but most will insist that 'things must change'. For instance, bringing back acute services to Westmorland General Hospital would improve patient safety and make a real difference - while I'm not sure that yet another sacrificial resignation will make any difference. Its relatively easy for the management to allow a couple of senior people to take a bullet, its much harder for the trust to accept that they have made mistakes and to change their policy and return acute services to Kendal. The Trust needs to stop trying to manage its public relations, and start making the changes that will improve healthcare locally. The trust has made disastrous decisions over the last 5 years; I would be a lot more impressed if they undid those decisions than I am by yet another resignation."