Save us from the Media

Poor Jane Herbert, chief executive of Hinchingbrooke hospital in Huntingdon. This is probably the most threatened of our regions Hospitals with a £30m deficit and a catchment population of only 160,000. She was appointed after the resignation of the previous chief exec. Since appointment she has been under almost constant fire from the Cambridge Evening News-vide HERE, HERE AND HERE. Oh and HERE.

What has she done to upset editor Murray Morse? I have great sympathy for hospital managers who manipulate waiting list figures-I am sure that all do it to some degree. Setting of ridiculous targets will lead to this sort of activity. It is wrong, she made a mistake, admitted to it and was very open about the issue when interviewed for her current post, so what’s the issue?

I agree she may not have been a wise appointment, but the board had the facts available when they appointed her and so far she has done nothing in her current post which should give cause for such opprobrium. Surely hospitals are under enough pressure from “Pat the rat” Hewitt and it is our duty as local health professionals to get behind the management, at least as long as they seem to be doing the right thing. A concerted campaign to get someone to quit before they have had a chance to show what they are made of is not going to help to save Hinchingbrooke.

And a lot of pius moaning from local councillors which seems more aimed at increasing their media profile than helping improve local healthcare provision doesn't help either. what does a health scrutiny committee do anyway? Sounds like another group of underqualified idiots being paid to stop anyone making any progress

Let the poor woman get on with her job