MP claims Yorkshire NHS Trust's leadership has 'gone rogue' in letter to Health Secretary

Bradford West MP Naz Shah, in a letter published in full on X to her 65,000 followers, has raised concerns about the running of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and called for the removal of chair Sarah Jones.

It comes after NHS England took enforcement action against the trust last summer following concerns raised by former chair Max Mclean, who resigned in October 2023 and is now pursuing a whistleblowing claim.

Reports said that since his resignation “there has been a subsequent deterioration in relationships between members of the board, including in relation to culture and behaviour, made by some members against others [which]... give rise to significant concerns as to how the board is operating”. It also warned the trust was on course to record a £14m financial deficit this year.

In her letter to Mr Streeting and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard, Ms Shah said she has been raising “serious concerns” about the trust for 15 months and claimed there has been a “witch hunt” against governors who have raised concerns, with attempts to oust them.

"It is clear to me that governance is in freefall, whistleblowers are being systematically targeted, and the trust is actively obstructing scrutiny," she said.

The trust did not wish to comment and the Department of Health did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the Health Service Journal (HSJ), Ms Shah’s letter follows reports of a "fractious" meeting between governors last month, in which the MP was prevented from speaking. The meeting descended into "chaos", it claimed, and was then cancelled despite Ms Shah and four councillors submitting questions ahead of time.

HSJ reports the intention was to raise concerns about alleged racism and governance and safety issues at the trust - including the death of two babies in neonatal intensive care.

The babies died in November 2021 after contracting Klebsiella pneumoniae and, according to reports, an internal investigation found the outbreak could have been prevented.

Former chair Mr Mclean, who is an ex-police detective, is now pursuing a whistleblowing claim with preliminary hearings to be held this week. He claims he was forced out after raising concerns about its maternity services following the baby deaths, as well as issues around staff wellbeing.

Ms Shah said: "The chain of command is broken, and governance has collapsed, with decisions being made without scrutiny or accountability.”