Hospital boss at centre of deaths probe rakes in tens of thousands advising on safety

Whistleblowers have claimed that Dame Marianne ignored safety warnings

The former boss of a hospital at the centre of a police probe over patient deaths has been earning tens of thousands a month advising other NHS trusts.

Dame Marianne Griffiths stood down from her role as chief executive of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in 2022.

Sussex Police subsequently launched an investigation into more than 100 cases of alleged negligence in the general and neurosurgery departments during her tenure, 40 of which are believed to have involved patient deaths.

Whistleblowers have since claimed that Dame Marianne ignored safety warnings, with one claiming in a letter to her that “charges of serious misconduct include covering up the death of a patient, the creation of an unsafe environment for patients”.

Significant sums 

Despite the brewing scandal, numerous NHS organisations have since paid significant sums to a company co-owned by the former nurse and her husband, John Dixon.

Eden Health and Social Care won a six-month contract worth £329,500 in June 2023 at University Hospitals Dorset.

Meanwhile NHS England, the central commissioning body paid the company £34,963.50 for each of October and November 2022.

It comes amid growing concern about the amount the NHS spends on private management consultants, particularly when they are former employees.

The Dorset payments relate to the launch of a “Patient First” programme at the trust, for which Dame Marianne, who had initiated a similar rollout in Sussex, provided consultancy services.

‘Lean healthcare’ 

Patient First promotes a form of “lean healthcare”, intending to empower frontline staff and eliminate waste.

It was pioneered in America by institutions such as the Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Centre, which Dame Marianne visited whilst CEO at Sussex, based on principles developed by the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota.

Sources at the trust said that, typically, Dame Marianne is present for two days a week, a claim the trust did not deny.

They also claimed that her style of consultancy leaves staff dependent on ongoing support and advice from Eden, rather than empowering them to execute the changes themselves.

One clinician said: “It somewhat grates that we are paying so much money to learn a system that has already been rolled out elsewhere in the NHS.

“You would have thought that in a properly functioning publicly-owned service you wouldn’t have to pay private consultants to get access to that knowledge.”

‘Inadequate’ rating

The source added: “There is a real worry now at the trust about the reputational risk of the association with Eden given what’s emerging about what happened to patients in Sussex.”

Until the current scandal, Dame Mariane was lauded for improving standards of patient safety, earning the backing of former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and winning numerous awards.

However, last year the Care Quality Commission rated the trust “inadequate” following complaints by staff of “autocratic and bureaucratic” management.

Dame Marianne reportedly earned £3.7 million working for the NHS between 2009 and 2022, accruing a pension pot of nearly £1.3 million.

Since leaving Sussex, Dame Marianne was also appointed to lead an independent review of failings at North East Ambulance Service, with her final report dismissed as a “whitewash” by some of the loved ones of patients who died due to failures of care.

‘Maturity assessment’ 

NHS England said this explained the two payments of £34,963.50 made to her.

Documents also reveal that in 2023 Dame Marianne was commissioned by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to carry out a “maturity assessment” to provide an independent review of the trust’s “exceptional people, outstanding care” programme.

Eden was £40,228.60 by the trust, according to an invoice for December 2023.

A UHD spokesman said: “In July 2023, our trust agreed a strategy to improve the care we offer to our patients.

“This involves training for our senior leaders and teams, implementing an improvement approach that has been used by trusts across the NHS.

“Following an open tender process, we began working with Eden Health and Social Care to support us in this important work and so far we have seen a number of improvements across our performance and staff survey feedback.

“However, we take any concerns seriously and will continue to review our progress to ensure effective use of our resources.”

The Telegraph attempted to approach Dame Marianne for comment.

She has not made any statement on the Police investigation at University Hospitals Sussex.

An NHS spokesperson said: “NHS England commissioned Dame Marianne Griffiths to lead the review into the North East Ambulance Service following a process to identify a person with relevant NHS experience and who had not worked in the local area.

“As one of the most efficient health services in the world, NHS England provides improvement support programmes to local hospitals at no additional cost to the taxpayer.”

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