Contract for 15 days grew to 64

A CONSULTANT initially contracted to work for a total of 15 days at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has ended up working more than four times as many days – all of them paid at £750 a time.

The trust brought in Alan Lambourne to take on the company secretary role on a short-term basis after “secretly” suspending Kerry Rogers for matters it has never disclosed.

Ms Rogers has now left, with the trust providing no further information on why she was suspended on full pay of £115,000 a year for around six months or the circumstances of her eventual departure.

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Ms Rogers’s absence from board meetings since February 28 was simply minuted as an “apology” for not attending. Her name continued to appear as the author of board agendas despite her absence.

Mr Lambourne has now taken on a more permanent role in her place despite only being contracted to work a total of three weeks.

The contract, which is dated May 7, stated that Mr Lambourne’s company, Castlegate Lambourne Ltd, would “provide Interim Company Secretarial support and guidance” with a focus on helping to produce the trust’s annual report.

It went on: “The provision of services will commence on 7 May 2013 and will continue for a period of up to a maximum of 15 days after which time the arrangement will terminate.”

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The appointment then appears to have been followed by a retrospective approval for a “single action tender” on May 23 on the basis there was a shortage of suitable candidates. This approval was for 39 days work, costing £29,250.

It remains unclear whether the trust considered any other candidates for the role prior to Castlegate Lambourne being given an initial 15-day contract or when the 39-day agreement emerged two weeks later.

It has since transpired Mr Lambourne worked 64 days up to the end of August at a cost of £48,000 and continued into September.

The trust initially said the agreement had been extended at a meeting in early August but then said an extension had been approved at a board meeting on August 29.

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When the trust was asked for the details of the latest agreement, a spokesman said the “position is currently under review and due to go back to the board. We will be in a better position to provide an update on this next week”.