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Ex-hospital boss resigns from charity role

Martin Heath
BBC News, Northamptonshire
BBC Deborah Needham with short blond hair smiling at the camera and wearing a green, purple and yellow dress. There is a window behind her looking out onto a brick building with white window framesBBC
Deborah Needham said she had stepped down as she "would never want to cause upset to any bereaved parent"

The former chief executive of a troubled hospital has resigned from a charity role after just a few days in post.

Deborah Needham, who was in charge at Kettering General Hospital until last year, was appointed as a trustee of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (Sands) in February.

She stepped down after a bereaved parent complained about the appointment.

Ms Needham said she stepped down because she "would never want to cause upset to any bereaved parent".

Ms Needham became chief executive of Kettering General Hospital (KGH) in 2021.

A BBC investigation in 2023 found many parents were unhappy with the care their children were getting at KGH's Skylark Ward, and some of the cases took place during Ms Needham's tenure.

Family handout Chloe Longster with long dark brown hair smiling at the camera wearing a white shirt and black jacket. There is a framed picture behind her.Family handout
A coroner ruled that failures at KGH had contributed to the death of Chloe Longster, 13

A coroner ruled last year that neglect and a series of failures at KGH contributed to the death of 13-year-old Chloe Longster.

Skylark ward was judged to be "inadequate" by inspectors in 2023 and the whole hospital was rated as "requires improvement" in 2024.

Ms Needham left her role as chief executive at the hospital last June and was appointed as a Sands trustee in February.

Clea Harmer with medium-length light-coloured hair, wearing a black top and a large silver necklace. She is in an office with large windows and people sitting at desks.
Clea Harmer, from Sands, apologised to "any supporters who have been upset" about Ms Needham's appointment

The chief executive of Sands, Clea Harmer, said: "Sands received correspondence on the evening of 13 February from a family raising concerns following the announcement of the appointment of Deborah Needham as a trustee.

"We take all concerns about appointments seriously, especially when bereaved parents are voicing them, so we reviewed and raised these promptly with Deborah, who took the decision to step down from her role with immediate effect."

Ms Harmer went on to "apologise to any supporters who have been concerned or upset about this appointment" and added that the charity's trustee selection system had been revised as a result.

Google London street building, showing an entrance with "Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists" on a grey sign above. The number 10 is displayed on the brick wall on either side of the entrance and there is a one-way sign to the right.Google
Sands is based at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London

Ms Needham told the BBC: "I was delighted to be appointed as a trustee for Sands as the charity is very close to my heart and has helped me personally over the years.

"I took the role with the hope of having a positive impact in supporting other bereaved families so when I heard that a family had raised concerns I decided to resign.

"I would never want to cause upset to any bereaved parent and would like to sincerely apologise to any family if my role as trustee did this."

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