Learning Disability England is relieved to hear the news that Katrina Percy has resigned from her post as CEO of Southern Health Trust.
The management team at Southern Health has presided over continual failings in delivery of care and this has been highlighted frequently in CQC and independent reports such as Mazars. We think that her resignation is long overdue and that the remaining management team should take a look at themselves and do what is respectful and just for all the people they have failed.
We are angry to see that Katrina Percy will continue to work as a consultant for Southern Health and take the same salary that she got as a CEO. This is wrong and makes her resignation a pretence. Her statement that she is leaving because of ‘media pressure’ is a denial that she was in charge of an organisation that continues to fail people with learning disabilities.
NHS Improvement say that to pay a CEO salary to do a lesser job is best value for money. They have not explained how they have come to that decision and they should explain. At a time when people with learning disabilities are told that there is not enough money for the support they need and have a right to, this is insulting. Katrina Percy (and any other manager that can’t do their job well) should not be rewarded for their failure.
LDE member and family carer Dr Katherine Runswick-Cole says:
“Why does the Ofsted chair, David Hoare, who said rude things about people in the Isle of Wight have to go straight away with no pay off and Katrina Percy doesn’t. Are the feelings of non-disabled people on the Isle of Wight more important than the lives of people with learning disabilities? I genuinely do not understand why it has happened that way.”
LDE co-founder Gary Bourlet says:
“Katrina Percy has resigned but she’s going straight into another job. She has not been punished, she should be taking responsibility. She’ll have the same salary – she’ll be alright but a lot of people have died. Others have to live the rest of their lives with that. This shows us just how bad attitudes towards people with learning disabilities are.”
At Learning Disability England, we are asking our MPs to demand an inquiry into how Katrina Percy can still be paid the same as a CEO. We are also writing to NHS Improvement to ask how they made the decision that paying Katrina Percy the same was best value for money.
If you are angry too, we suggest that you write to your MP – you can find more information about this here. If you want NHS Improvement to explain, you can ask them here.