Patients and staff are calling on East Midlands Ambulance Service to clear up the mystery of its "missing" chief executive.
They say people have a right to know whether Paul Phillips will be returning to his desk.
At the beginning of last month, Emas officials refused to "confirm or deny" whether the �140,000-a-year chief executive was still in post.
Then, on Friday, April 8, they issued a statement saying he was on "annual leave and considering taking early retirement after 36 years of service". They have not commented since.
Mike Pepperman is chairman of a working group set up by patient watchdog groups, called Links, to look at Emas issues.
He is so concerned he has written to Emas asking for answers.
"It is several weeks since any statement was issued," he told the Mercury. "I think there is growing anxiety among the staff and certainly within Links about the lack of information."
Dr Pepperman said that Mr Phillips had not been at the last two Emas board meetings, on Monday, March 14, and Monday, April 18.
Union officials said they hoped they would be told more at their regular meeting with Emas later today.
Catherine Mellors, Unison area organiser for Emas, said: "It is very disconcerting for staff when they don't know what's happening and rumours start going around.
"Public money is used to pay the chief executive and more information should be made available. We were told there would be more information after the two bank holiday weekends and hope we might hear more today."
In their statement of April 8, Emas officials said: "We are not in a position to say anything further at this time and will not be putting forward staff for interview, which we hope you will understand and respect.
"As soon as we reach a definitive position, we will communicate that to you."
Emas would not give an update yesterday.
Ballu Patel, chairman of the Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said: "I think it is in the public interest that this ambiguity over the chief executive's position becomes clearer.
"Unless it is made clearer, people will make assumptions, and there are rumours.
"This cannot be healthy for the staff at the ambulance service or the patients.
"East Midlands Ambulance Service needs to make the position clear.
"Is the chief executive on annual leave or are other issues being considered?"
The service came in for criticism after it failed two hygiene inspections in 2009.
This year, it has been fined �50,000 for failing to meeting national response time targets.
 |  |
Economics Football politics St Petersburg Credit cards Peter Atherton Republicans
No comments:
Post a Comment