The boss of one of the largest and busiest NHS trusts in the UK has resigned in protest at the Government’s “unrealistic expectations” on saving costs.
Bob Kerslake, former chairman of the King’s College hospital board in London, which treated victims of recent terror attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire, stepped down from his post while calling for a “fundamental rethink” of how the NHS is funded.
In an op-ed for the Guardian, Mr Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, claimed the Government was in denial about how much money the NHS needs.
“My two and half years at King’s have been in equal parts inspiring and frustrating.
“There are undoubtedly things that I and the trust could have done better – there always are – but fundamentally our problems lie in the way that the NHS is funded and organised. We desperately need a fundamental rethink. Until then, we are simply kicking the can down the road,” he wrote.
Mr Kerslake had been in the role for less than three years.
He also tweeted: “I do not do this lightly as I love King's but believe the Govt & regulator are unrealistic about the scale of the challenge facing the NHS & the Trust. I want to pay tribute to the staff & their excellent patient care.”
Mr Kerslake’s departure comes days before the trust is anticipated to be put into “special measures” as it failed to stick to its budget this year.
Mr Kerslake argued that the trust had made savings of £80 million in each of the last two years, but the trust struggled since taking on responsibility for Bromley’s Princess Royal University hospital in 2014. He added that rising demand, squeezed spending and increased costs caused financial strain.
King’s has built a reputation at home and abroad for pioneering treatment in areas such as liver disease, diabetes and neurosciences.
His words follow NHS chief executive Simon Stevens' call for an emergency cash injection of £4 billion.
Chancellor Philip Hammond dismissed the call, saying public services and government departments always came to him before a budget asking for “very large numbers”, hinting that otherwise “Armageddon will arrive”.
Mr Stevens asked the Government in 2014 for £10 billion by 2020, and Mr Hammond said the Government agreed to that although Mr Stevens had “failed to deliver” on his five-year plan.
