Health trust director quits

A director of Norfolk's health trust has left suddenly, within weeks of the departure of a colleague.Ann Donkin, director of strategic development and system reform at NHS Norfolk, has resigned and left without serving a notice period.

A director of Norfolk's health trust has left suddenly, within weeks of the departure of a colleague.

Ann Donkin, director of strategic development and system reform at NHS Norfolk, has resigned and left without serving a notice period. Her departure follows the resignation of Anna Bennett, who was director of performance, planning and procurement. It means NHS Norfolk, which is in charge of planning and paying for health services in most of the county (except Yarmouth) has lost two of its directors in quick succession. Mrs Donkin had previously worked at hospital trusts in West Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire. At NHS Norfolk she has been involved in modernising stroke care in the county, amongst other projects.

She is said to have decided to return to consultancy and interim management business work and has applied for a place on an Oxford University business school's strategic leadership programme this summer.

Chief executive Julie Garbutt said: “Ann successfully saw NHS Norfolk through a highly challenging period of change and transformation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ann for her excellent work, support and commitment that she gave to NHS Norfolk and wish her every success for the future.

“Interim support is being put into place and more information will be announced in due course. This gives us an opportunity to look at how we continue to move forward with world class commissioning for the future.”

She added: “To allow Ann to return to her consultancy business and prepare for her leadership course in the summer it was mutually agreed that she could leave NHS Norfolk, at her personal request, immediately.”