RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has launched a scathing attack on Secretary of State for Health Frank Dobson's handling of the Guild Community Healthcare Trust's management crisis.

He is to meet Mr Dobson following the dismissal of three non-executive directors from the Guild Community Healthcare Trust.

Mr Dobson said that relations between board members had become irreconcilable and told five members to quit on Monday. Two of the directors Rama Mallidi and David Nelson handed in their notice. But the other three - Dr Roger Kendle, Rosemary Jolly and Ursula Walton - refused and were dismissed by Mr Dobson the following day.

Mr Evans is vowing to stand by the sacked non-executives and wants Mr Dobson to apologise.

He also plans to raise a debate in the House of Commons and said: "The three have been sacked for doing their jobs.

"They have blown the whistle on the incompetence and the mismanagement of the Trust and, as a result, the chief executive has had to be suspended.

"Their actions have been endorsed by an independent panel investigating the short-comings of the Trust but the Secretary of State has rewarded them by sacking them from the Trust board."

Mr Dobson said that he wanted to make a clean break with the past for the sake of the Trust after the suspension on full pay of chief executive Les Howell and resignation of chairman Patricia Diamond.

A leaked report into the running of the Trust found that the majority of board members had a lack of confidence in Mr Howell.

Hugh Lamont, spokesman for the NHS Executive North West said: "It was their choice not to resign and be dismissed.

"We hope, imminently, to have a new board of non-executive directors.

"The previous board had become dysfunctional because of disagreements between members."

Christine Kirk, previously appointed to run the Calderstones NHS Trust in Clitheroe, will run the Guild Trust for the next six months.

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