Independent councillors call for resignation of NHS trust chair, CEO for avoiding of crisis questions

Questions over baby deaths, racism, malpractice, targeting of whistleblowers, safeguarding and victimisation unanswered after chair shuts down public meeting

The Bradford Independent Group of councillors has called for the immediate resignation of both the chair and Chief Executive Officer of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTHFT) following serious concerns regarding governance failures, poor leadership, bullying, intimidation, safeguarding of patients, failure to carry out timely investigations following the deaths of babies, allegations of racism/islamophobia, the removal or suspension of non-executive directors and victimisation of trust governors.

These concerns were brought to the fore at the trust’s recent ‘Public Council of Governors’ meeting on 16th January 2025, in which the councillors say that both Chief Executive Mel Pickup and chair Sarah Jones avoided transparency and accountability and ended the meeting to avoid challenge.

Despite clear provisions within the trust’s constitution and established precedent, the pair refused to allow key stakeholders – including three Independent Group councillors, one a representative from the Bradford Council Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee, a Labour Councillor, a serving Member of Parliament (Naz Shah), and even their own governors – to ask questions or express their views.

Instead, a statement was read out at the meeting to say the trust would not be answering any of the councillors’ pre-submitted questions on the grounds that they were allegedly irrelevant to the trust’s agenda. The questions were in fact based on public and board members’ concerns expressed amid growing dissatisfaction with the way the hospital is being run.

On her appointment as chair almost exactly a year ago, Sarah Jones said that she was

The greatest part of being a chair in the NHS is meeting colleagues and patients. I love engaging with people and hearing about their real-life experiences and ensuring their voice is heard by the Board.

However, the councillors allege that she was not loving the prospect of ‘engaging and hearing about the real-life experiences’ of the councillors and the people whose questions they wanted answered, or in ensuring ‘their voice is heard by the Board’. A statement from the Bradford Independent Group says that:

Particularly troubling was the conduct of Chair Sarah Jones, whose actions displayed a complete disregard for democratic accountability. Instead of engaging with concerns raised, she chose to abandon the meeting entirely, further eroding confidence in the governance of the Trust. This deliberate suppression of scrutiny is entirely unacceptable.

The Bradford Independent Group have previously raised questions at full Council regarding the Trust’s handling of racism and lslamophobia, concerns about investigations into baby deaths on the maternity unit, serious breaches of patient safeguarding, as well as its lack of clarity to a conduct matter involving a senior staff member sharing lslamophobic content. The Trust’s responses have been inadequate, and our own experiences at this meeting have only reinforced our concerns.

The leadership’s continued failure to address systemic discrimination by Mel Pickup and Sarah Jones have further eroded public confidence, it is clear that they have not only lost the trust of both the local community and those they are meant to serve, but also exacerbates health inequalities that disproportionately impact communities of colour.

The Trust has been engaged in a deeply concerning pattern of governance malpractice, including the removal of its previous Chair, the suspension of one Non-Executive Director, removal of another Non-Executive Director and the ongoing pursuit of multiple governors. These actions suggest a culture of retribution, victimisation, and the systematic targeting of whistleblowers. It is clear that governance at BTHFT is in a state of crisis, with senior leadership actively obstructing transparency and accountability.

Additionally, the Trust has failed to address repeated allegations of racism, discrimination, and lslamophobia. Instead of tackling these serious issues, leadership has actively suppressed those demanding accountability by removing/suspending Non-Executive Directors and threatening its own governors with disciplinary action.

The Trust’s former Chair, Max McLean, was forcibly removed for exposing failures, Mr McLean has now initiated legal action through an employment tribunal to expose governance failings at the highest level.

Given these grave issues, it is evident that both the Chair and CEO have lost the confidence of the public and elected representatives alike. MP Naz Shah has formally escalated the crisis to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, urging government intervention – a move that the Bradford Independent Group fully supports.

The continued failure of BTHFT’s leadership to address these concerns is wholly unacceptable. Urgent action is required from NHS England to restore public trust, ensure accountability, and uphold the integrity of the Trust’s governance.

The Trust is currently subject to a formal action notice, with additional licence conditions imposed on BTHFT. These serious measures further exacerbate an already challenging situation, highlighting significant failings in leadership and oversight. The imposition of these conditions not only underscores the Trust’s loss of control but also has far-reaching consequences for patient care and wellbeing, as systemic governance failures ultimately hinder the delivery of safe, effective, and equitable healthcare services.

The Bradford Independent Group calls upon the Government and NHS England to take immediate and decisive steps to rectify these systemic failings and restore public confidence in Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Bradford deserves NHS leadership that prioritises patient safety, transparency, and equality, not one that covers up failures and silences critics.

Councillor Talat Sajawal
Councillor Noor Elahi
Councillor Sirferaz Saddiq
Councillor David Ward
Councillor Ismail Uddin
Councillor Muhammed Ali Islam
Councillor Taj Salam
Councillor Rizwan Saleem
Councillor lshtiaq Ahmed

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of writing.

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