We said to go, you said...

She will pass the buck down the line instead of taking the flak herself. The doctors and nurses are excellent but it is ridiculous that they have to bear the brunt for everything.

Christopher Faithful, Dartford

I was a patient at Darent Valley Hospital just before Christmas. I think it is disgusting that the doctors and nurses have to work such long hours.

Eleanor Barnes, Crockenhill

I think the way the News Shopper has treated Anne-Marie Dean is disgraceful. I support the hospital fully and the whole team that works there.

Anonymous hospital worker

Dartford and Gravesend was a very happy and healthy place to live in before Ms Dean came. I think she should go.

Elle Fisher

I took my daughter to Darent Valley Hospital and we had to wait for seven hours. I asked if there was someone I could talk to about it and was told that there were no managers on site after 5.30pm. There was only one doctor on duty in casualty. This sort of thing is absolutely ridiculous and Anne-Marie Dean must take the blame.

Mark Colvas, Barnehurst

All the management team must go. They have not been able to do their jobs and the place should be run by matrons.

Sue Darby, Dartford

I strongly agree that Anne-Marie Dean should go. She has been paid an exhorbitant salary for doing nothing. She does nothing to serve the needs of the community at all.

Mrs Reeve, Dartford

I am sick and tired of the News Shopper running down Darent Valley Hospital. I was in there just before Christmas with a heart attack and the staff could not have been more friendly or more efficient.

Ron Smith, Dartford

There is something seriously wrong with the new hospital. My son had a fairly minor injury and yet we had to wait five hours for him to be seen.

Roy Darrick, Crockenhill

I have had a terrible experience at the new hospital. I have absolutely no confidence whatsoever in her ability to run it.

Mrs Paow, Gravesend

The new hospital has been a disaster. Everyone must be in agreement that we need someone else in charge to completely upgrade the system.

Mr Purvis, Istead Rise

PHONE POLL

DURING the last two weeks the News Shopper has been overwhelmed by the response to a telephone poll. We asked if Darent Valley Hospital's chief executive Anne-Marie Dean should resign.

We received phone calls supporting the call, from the people of Dartford and Gravesend and from dissatisfied residents in Woolwich and Plumstead.

In the two weeks, 146 voted for her to go with just 54 wanting her to stay one of the biggest responses we have had to a phone poll. It shows 73 per cent of readers back our campaign.

You can still have a say by sending in one of the forms on page three.

Many did leave messages and we have printed a selection below and on the front page, including three messages supporting her.

It's Anne-Marie Dean's wish for secrecy which gets me. Chief Executives think if they are nameless they are blameless.

Mr Duffield, Meopham

After coming out of surgery at Darent Valley Hospital only half of it had been carried out. The reason I was given was the operating theatre didn't have the correct tools. This is a sign of blatant mismanagement.

Mr Norris, Dartford

The hospital is responsible for some dreadful mismanagement. My husband had to wait nine months for an appointment with a neurologist. He died before he could see one.

Mrs Williams, Dartford

I disagree totally with the News Shopper's campaign against Anne-Marie Dean. It is nothing but a character attack when in fact it is the whole team who should take responsibility for it.

Mr Nick Hurwood

Staff claim they feel intimidated

THE MANAGEMENT tactics of Anne-Marie Dean have become all too familiar to staff at Darent Valley Hospital.

Only this week, an anonymous member of staff left a message on our phone poll, saying doctors in the department where he works have been asked to sign a letter in support of Miss Dean.

The caller added: “But they're not given the opportunity to sign a letter saying they don't support her.”

This is the latest example of the chief executive's desperate tactics as she tries to maintain her iron grip on Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.

Mr Dent, of Marlin Way, Gravesend, told our poll: “She is very dictatorial, very autocratic and gives no leeway to her managers.

“She does not let anyone else do their jobs and she wants full control over everything.”

Last April nurses and doctors in A&E, at Joyce Green, were furious after they were sent a letter by Miss Dean saying they were not up to the job.

The Royal College of Nursing accused management of bullying staff to find out who leaked the letter to the press.

The morale of members of staff was at an all-time low after the head of A&E, Peter Boylan, left. It was claimed he had been made a scapegoat.

Miss Dean's management style did not improve when she moved to Darent Valley.

In October we ran a series of stories about staff shortages and problems in A&E.

It was at this time a spokesman for the Royal College of Nursing told the News Shopper, staff at the hospital were “not getting the support they need from management”.

He also said: “Staff deserve more information about developments at the hospital.”

The News Shopper feels the low-staff morale at the hospital is due to Mrs Dean.

Nurses and doctors work extremely hard at Darent Valley and deserve a chief executive who supports them rather than bullies them.

She's responsible

SUPPORTERS of Anne-Marie Dean claim she is being wrongly blamed for the problems with food at the hospital.

They argue non-clinical contracts, such as food and car parking are not her responsibility and the buck stops with the Hospital Company which organises the contracts.

But if Anne-Marie Dean is not responsible for the clinical aspects, and not to blame for the non-clinical services, what is she responsible for and what does she do all day as chief executive?

The News Shopper feels Mrs Dean should have changed the food contractor when, in October, six patients had to share one meal while nurses made them toast.

Other problems have been a two-year-old being given raw and frozen meat, and recently four patients contracted salmonella. The hospital said it came from food from outside the hospital.

The Newsshopper feels the buck stops with Anne-Marie Dean.

We want to hear from you

NURSES and doctors are doing a good job at the hospital considering the staff shortages.

The hospital only has funding for 106 nurses and 29 doctors per 100 beds compared with the national average of 119 nurses and 35 doctors.

The News Shopper understands the staff are under tremendous pressure at the hospital and feels they should get more support from management. Staff morale is clearly at an all-time low and reporters have received numerous calls from anonymous members of staff criticising Anne-Marie Dean.

Staff should have faith in their management team but it seems as though not many people have confidence in Anne-Marie Dean.

Do you work at Darent Valley and have something to say about the management style of Anne-Marie Dean? Call us on 01689 885728 or 885724.

Fighting for their rights says ANDREW PARKES, Editor.

IT IS time to put the record straight. The News Shopper has, for decades, worked hard to deliver what its readers want.

It has never hidden from the truth, never ignored a story because the subject might prove too sensitive and never backed away from what it knows to be the right course, no matter what tactics have been employed against it.

This newspaper has always, and will always, fight for its readers and their rights.

So here are a few facts:

l The News Shopper has always supported the building of a new hospital because it believes local people deserve the best possible healthcare.

l We recognise and support the hard work and dedication of the hospital staff and will continue to do so.

l This newspaper believes that chief executive Anne-Marie Dean has failed to carry out duties expected of her and failed her members of staff. We believe the right course of action is for her to resign.

As chief executive, with overall responsibility for the operation of Darent Valley Hospital, Mrs Dean has been presented with a whole series of instances where her patients have been failed.

Her response has been either to blame someone else, refuse to answer at all, or, recently, to blame this newspaper.

The fact is, Mrs Dean is responsible for the running of the hospital but has claimed that because certain tasks are contracted out to other agencies she cannot be held responsible for them.

Mrs Dean claims the vast majority of hospital staff back her and believe she is doing a good job but, unlike the long list of patients and readers who tell us she is failing, they are not queueing up to speak to us.

The Trust and chief executive now refuses to respond to the News Shopper when we put to them very valid and serious concerns of patients. Their initial response was to threaten legal action but, presumably after seeking advice, stated: “The Trust recognises your right to pursue a campaign to remove the chief executive for legitimate purpose to address public concerns”.

More recently the director of legal services, Andrew Andrews, claims to have reported this newspaper to the Press Complaints Commission.

This newspaper is proud to abide by the PCC's code of practice and has never, knowingly, broken it.

But, whilst continuing to operate within this code, this newspaper will not be swayed from supporting the large number of dissatisfied patients and staff relying upon us.

We know, that given the right leadership and support the staff at Darent Valley Hospital can look forward to a great future and the people of Dartford and the surrounding area will have a hospital of which they can be truly proud.

POINT

Biased and unfair'

Press statement by the Joint Trade Unions Staff Side Negotiating Committee of Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust.

“This statement is issued by the Trade Union Staff Side Committee in response to the recent news coverage by the News Shopper, in particular to voice our concern about the personal attacks on the Trust's chief executive, Anne-Marie Dean, by the paper.

“Collectively, the committee and the staff they represent deplore the biased, inaccurate and unprofessional articles printed by the News Shopper over the last two weeks.

“As an organisation, the Trade Unions recognise that the Trust, and its officers, must be publically accountable. As representatives we would also endorse the principles of freedom of the press and news media.

“However, we believe that freedom should not allow responsible journalists to shirk their duty to present a balanced and fair account of events.

“The News Shopper articles appear to have been clearly aimed at undermining Mrs Dean's position as chief executive of the Trust. Neither has the newspaper given space to clarifications of facts and information by the Trust, or letters and comments made by staff in support of Mrs Dean.”

COUNTERPOINT

Reporting the facts'

News Shopper Editor Andrew Parkes responds

The committee is right to note the newspaper has, over the past weeks, months, indeed years, levelled criticism at Anne-Marie Dean both in her role of chief executive at Darent Valley Hospital and, previously, as chief executive of Joyce Green Hospital.

However, it is wrong to claim these are personal attacks. This newspaper has never made a personal attack on Mrs Dean it has only ever pointed out her failings in her professional role and, as chief executive, she must take responsibility for such failings.

This newspaper would not, print biased, inaccurate or unprofessional articles. Equally, it will not shy away from printing the truth, however unpleasant it may be for Mrs Dean.

The News Shopper would be failing in its duty to its readers if it did not publish stories reported to it by patients and staff. The fact that such stories lay the blame firmly at the feet of the chief executive cannot, and should not, be denied.

Articles have not been aimed at undermining Mrs Dean's position. They have simply highlighted her performance and illustrated the fact that she has been under-performing.

This newspaper has always given the Trust every opportunity to comment or respond to stories which were published.

I note this statement from the Joint Trade Unions Staff Side Negotiating Committee of Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust has been issued through the hospital's press office.

I would challenge the committee or press office to present a single example of an inaccurate fact published by the News Shopper about the Trust or a single case where the Trust was not given every opportunity to comment.