THE chief executive of East Lancashire’s troubled hospital trust has ‘stood down’ with immediate effect.

No reasons have been given for the departure of Mark Brearley, who has been in charge of the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General since 2011.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust [ELHT] has been in special measures since July, when NHS chiefs made wide-ranging criticisms of the way the organisation had been run.

The trust has released the following statement, but said Mr Brearley was unavailable for interview.

Mark Brearley has announced his intention to stand down from his post as Chief Executive of East Lancashire NHS Trust with immediate effect.

Mark, who has over 30 year’s experience in the NHS, has led the Trust since May 2011, and in recent months has overseen the Trusts high-profile response to the Keogh Review.

Acting Trust Chairman, Martin Hill, said: “The whole Trust Board would like to thank Mark for his hard work and dedication over the last two-and-a-half years, during which time he has overseen some real improvements in the care we provide for patients. Over the last few months in particular, Mark’s leadership in responding to the Keogh Review has been critical in developing our action plan to respond to those areas where we all know we need to improve. We wish Mark all the very best for the future.”

The Trust will appoint a replacement for Mark in the New Year, with Jonathan Wood, the Director of Finance, becoming acting Chief Executive for the immediate future.