IN AN organisation employing as many people as the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust you would expect grumbles. But it seems in this trust’s case the grumbles have turned into a groundswell of indignation about its management culture.

Indeed, according to one consultant who spoke exclusively to The Westmorland Gazette, there is widespread belief among clinical staff that there should be resignations at board level following the catalogue of failures identified in recent months.

This view is echoed by the patients’ campaign group South Lakes Health Action, which says members of the trust’s board of directors should resign ‘en-masse’.

There is no doubt that UHMBT has recently come in for a great deal of criticism, starting with the tragic story of the short life of baby Joshua Titcombe.

There have also been concerns expressed about seven other babies at the Furness General Hosptal maternity unit.

We then learned about the failure of the trust to correctly administer follow-up appointments for between 30,000 and 40,000 patients. It has now been revealed that hundreds of urgent and priority patients have been identified and, thankfully, emergency appointments organised for them to see consultants.

UHMBT has already recorded a higher than average mortality rate across its three hospitals. The fear now must be that the appoint-ments debacle, which has led to delays in treatment, may make this situation worse in coming months and years.

The consultant who approached the Gazette about his concerns on these matters deserves praise. It is the first time such a significant insider has been brave enough to blow the whistle on the trust’s alleged management culture.

The fact that he wishes to keep his identity secret out of fear for his position in the NHS tells us something about the way the wider organisation is being run.

It must be stressed, however, that his and other criticisms are aimed at senior management and not the clinical staff. UHMBT’s nurses, junior doctors and consultants are hard-working and dedicated clinic-ians who deserve our support. They don’t make the systems but have to work within them.

Given the catalogue of failures, criticism of management culture at UHMBT would seem valid. However, calling for top level resignations is a serious matter. It may be the management board wants to stay on to rectify the mistakes. But if that’s the case and problems continue, then resignation would certainly be the only honourable option.