Chief executive suspended

Published: 10 February 2014

The non-executive directors of South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, have today suspended trust chief executive, Paula Vasco-Knight, with immediate effect.

Speaking on behalf of the non-executive directors, David Allen said: “The situation has moved on considerably in the last week. The non-executive directors therefore decided that suspension of the chief executive is now in the best interest of all parties whilst a formal process is underway to investigate concerns raised by the recent employment tribunal. The suspension is a neutral act and has no bearing on the outcome of the process, which will be conducted fairly, with integrity and as quickly as possible. We will share the outcome of the investigation with our staff, governors and the public as soon as we are able to after the process has concluded.”

“I would like to remind our patients that, serious as the recent employment tribunal case is, it stems from allegations of favouritism in a recruitment process for a single administrative role. It has absolutely nothing to do with our core business of patient care. The people delivering healthcare services day in and day out are our teams of caring and committed doctors, porters, nurses, housekeepers, physios, occupational therapists, pharmacists, lab assistants – amongst others. They do an exceptional job and we are extremely proud of their track record in providing high-quality and compassionate care for our patients.”