THE Chief Executive at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, Tony Halsall, is stepping down.

The Trust’s interim Chair, Sir David Henshaw, paid tribute to his hard work and dedication, despite the issues that the Trust is dealing with.

He said: “Over the last five years Tony Halsall has led the Trust through difficult times showing considerable loyalty and integrity. He has often found himself in the position of taking responsibility for issues when others should have been alongside him.”

The Trust’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance, Tim Bennett, will act as Chief Executive for the next two weeks after which Sir David will announce the name of the new interim Chief Executive.

Tony Halsall, said: “This has been an extremely difficult time for me personally and professionally. I have always been totally committed to driving through the changes that are essential in order to ensure high quality patient care for the patients of South Cumbria and North Lancashire. I believe that considerable progress has been made in recent months to address a number of issues the Trust faces but I recognise that it is now appropriate for the lead to be taken by a new Chief Executive.”

Tony Halsall joined the NHS in 1980 as a nurse. He moved into management during the 1990s and has held a number of senior NHS management roles in the North West. He was Chief Executive at Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Foundation Trust before being appointed Chief Executive at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust in 2007. It became a Foundation Trust in 2010. He also led Morecambe Bay to Foundation Trust status in 2010.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said: "New leadership is needed to turn the hospitals around and this is the right decision. "Tony Halsall has done some good work. He is responsible for a large degree for bringing cancer services to Kendal and we are grateful to him for that and wish him well."

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock said: "When the scale of the problems were laid bare by the troubleshooting agencies, it was only a question of when would be the right time for Tony Halsall to go so disruption to vital patient services was minimised.

"I have respected the wish of the new chair of the trust, Sir David Henshaw, to make his own assessment on timing and I am glad he has decided that the change should happen so soon.

"I understand why many who have been badly let down by the trust feel great antipathy towards the man at the top, particularly grieving families who have found it so hard to get justice.

"For my part, Tony Halsall has always struck me as genuine in his commitment to the health service, but the failings he has presided over make his departure inevitable and right."

Royal College of Nursing North West regional director Steve Flanagan said: “We are unsurprised by today’s news that Mr Halsall has decided to resign from the Trust, following a period of significant difficulty for the organisation. "We recognise that the current problems facing the trust mean it has become increasingly difficult for him to remain in post, and we now hope to work with the chair and chief operating officer to move the trust forward and help to restore patient confidence. “We call on the trust to engage with staff and trade unions to get the trust back on its feet. We look forward to working with the new chief executive when this appointment has been made.”