Lucy Letby hospital’s chief executive ‘was paid £80,000 by NHS’ after stepping down from £160,000 role when killer nurse was arrested
- CEO Tony Chambers resigned from his £160,000-a-year role in September 2018
- His attempt to become boss of another hospital was thwarted by ‘outraged’ staff
The chief executive who oversaw the hospital where killer nurse Lucy Letby murdered seven babies received an additional £80,000 after he resigned.
Tony Chambers resigned from his £160,000-a-year role at the Countess of Chester Hospital just weeks after Letby was arrested in September 2018.
A source told the Mail he resigned following a vote of no confidence in him at an ‘extraordinary’ meeting of the medical staff committee, which included consultants, that same month.
But he was still paid for a further six months, The Times reports.
Chambers has been accused of attempting to clamp down on whistleblowers who had concerns about Letby.
Dr Stephen Brearey, the neonatal unit’s senior paediatrician, says Chambers warned consultants there would be ‘consequences’ if they raised concerns.
CEO Tony Chambers (right), accompanies Queen Camilla (then Duchess of Cornwall) during her visit of the the Countess of Chester Hospital in September 2014
Letby – wearing a blue hoodie with the strings covered in pink glitter – is taken from her house in handcuffs after being arrested by Cheshire Police in July 2018
READ MORE: HOSPITAL BOSS ACCUSED OF IGNORING DOCTORS’ WARNING ABOUT LUCY LETBY SAYS SHE WAS DUPED BY ‘CALCULATING’ BABY KILLER NURSE
Dr Brearey also says the hospital chief insisted they apologise to Letby.
At the time of Chambers’ departure, the hospital trust’s chairman Sir Duncan Nichol said he accepted his resignation ‘with great regret’.
However, a senior source told the newspaper that Sir Duncan made sure Chambers did not receive other parting benefits.
NHS executives may be eligible for perks including pension contributions, reimbursements for legal fees or tax advice, and even a company car when they leave office – but Chambers was given none of these,
He has not been found guilty of any misconduct.
Chambers served as interim chief executive at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust for five months from August 2021 to January 2022, when he was informed by a phonecall that he would not be appointed permanently.
Yesterday, it was reported Chambers’ attempt to become permanent chief executive of Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust was halted by ex-staff who were ‘outraged and distressed following his handling of Letby’s case.
He most recently held a senior position at Queen victoria Hospital in West Sussex, where he earned £60,000 for four months’ work before stepping down in May – shortly after Letby began testifying in her trial.
Chambers, himself a former nurse, is believed to have earned over £500,000 between January 2020 and June 2022 and had amassed a £1.08million pension pot when he left the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2018.
Chambers told BBC’s Panorama his comments to consultants had been taken out of context. He denied telling them that Letby had ‘done nothing wrong’ and says he was paraphrasing a comment made by her father.
In a statement after Letby’s conviction, he said: ‘All my thoughts are with the children at the heart of this case and their families and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. I am truly sorry for what all the families have gone through. The crimes are appalling and I am deeply saddened by what has come to light. As chief executive, my focus was on the safety of the baby unit and the wellbeing of patients and staff.
‘I was open and inclusive as I responded to information and guidance. There are always lessons to be learned and the best place for this to be achieved would be through an independent inquiry. I will cooperate fully and openly.’
Tony Chambers stepped down as the chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital after the police launched an inquiry into the deaths of babies
Bosses at the Countess of Chester Hospital also blamed other NHS services for a number of the unexplained deaths. Consultants who raised concerns about Letby (pictured) as far back as 2015 have said babies could have been saved if hospital management had listened and acted sooner
Tony Chambers at a party to celebrate Nurses’ Day in May 2015
When lead consultant Stephen Brearey (pictured here) went to management in the hours after Baby P’s death on June 24, 2016, his request to have Letby taken off the neo-natal unit was turned down flat
READ MORE – How did Lucy Letby become a baby murderer? church-going ‘vanilla killer’ who holidayed with her parents and slept with teddy bears
During his time at the trust, Mr Chambers was front and centre at all of its public events, including its annual awards bash.
He also hosted Queen Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, during an official 2014 visit to the hospital, during which he escorted around the grounds.
The father of two lives with his wife in a £750,000 grade II-listed house in Bolton with original features including stonework and exposed beams.
Mr Chambers and his wife — was formerly the pro-vice-chancellor of the faculty of health and education at Manchester Metropolitan University — have two adult sons.
Mr Chambers, who is a grandfather, says he spends his free time skiing, travelling, enjoying whisky and visiting his eldest son — a professional snowboarder on the British snowboard-cross squad based in Austria.
Since he left the hospital following the scandal, Mr Chambers has taken up several leadership roles at NHS hospitals up and down the country, travelling home at weekends.
He was appointed interim chief executive at Queen’s and King George Hospitals in East London on a salary of £210,000 in 2020. He then took up the same position at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust between August 2021 and January 2022, during which time he earned £100,000.
Most recently, he was appointed interim CEO to run one of England’s smallest trusts, the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in West Sussex.
He took up the nine-month contract in February this year, but it was cut short and he was replaced in June when the trust recruited a permanent chief executive.
Mr Chambers was also at the Northern Care Alliance in Salford, Greater Manchester, and worked on the opening of the much delayed new Royal Liverpool Hospital.
He started his career as a nurse on a critical care unit at Bolton Hospital, following the footsteps of his mother, who was also a nurse.
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