AN emergency meeting of Royal Bournemouth Hospital‘s council of governors to discuss the Basil Fozard scandal will be held in secret – because the lead governor claims the public “might find it difficult to understand."

The crisis talks were organised after a public backlash against the trust’s decision to reappoint the medical director on a bumper £152,000 salary just one month after he started drawing from his £1.9million pension, which included a £325,000 lump sum.

This represented a £20,000 pay increase and took advantage of a loophole which was closed by health secretary Jeremy Hunt just days after the 59-year-old’s “retirement."

The Department of Health branded the hospital’s actions “completely unacceptable” and MPs and councillors have repeatedly demanded the trust “come clean."

But Bob Gee, lead governor, confirmed he requested the meeting be held in private as it was his “right”, the content was “not newsworthy” and the public may find parts “difficult to understand."

He said: “Lots of other public organisations hold meetings in private. Why should we be any different?"

The public governors are elected to hold the board to account on behalf of the community.

And despite their meetings usually being open to the public, on September 1 it will be held behind closed doors and, according to a Daily Echo source, in a “secure area of the hospital."

The source said the trust is putting up a “wall of silence."

"The hospital management does not seem to have learned anything from this whole issue,” they added.

“The Basil Fozard story has been all about the lack of transparency and openness in the management of RBH and here we go again.

"It's all smoke and mirrors and is typical of the arrogance with which the place is run.

"It's letting down the staff who are dedicated and professional and give a fantastic service to the local community."

Christchurch MP Chris Chope said the governors play an important intermediary role between the trust’s board and the people it serves, adding: “The public will have more confidence in the governors if they say what they are doing.

“If the governors do have a meeting in camera there is a strong onus on them to explain why they are doing that and what the justification is.”

Manager of Healthwatch Dorset, Martyn Webster, said the governors need to ensure the board “acknowledge the damage this affair has done to the public’s trust” and “get them to apologise."

“What's been lacking at every level from the hospital since this story broke has been openness,” he said.

“We urge the council of governors to remember that one of your first jobs is to represent the interests of the public."

A trust spokesman said: “This extra meeting of the council of governors was called as the next full meeting is not until 5 November. Like all extra meetings, this is being held in private and this decision was confirmed by both the chairperson and our lead governor, who called for the meeting.”

'It is my right to hold this meeting in private'

THE Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s lead governor, Bob Gee, has compared the planned secret meeting over the Basil Fozard scandal with “having a private conversation with your mum”.

The Daily Echo challenged Mr Gee, who took up his position as a governor at the trust in 2011, to explain why the September 1 meeting will be held behind closed doors. 

He replied by claiming that “there may be things discussed that are not necessarily for public consumption” before adding: “If you were having a private conversation with your mum you’d expect that to remain confidential wouldn’t you?”

He said: “I asked for it to be held in private because obviously it is my right. Lots of other public organisations hold meetings in private. Why should we be any different?

“There is no point having this meeting in public. It can all be quite complex and might be difficult for them to understand. We use a lot of acronyms and it may be difficult for the public to follow.”

He then asked for the identity of the Echo’s source about the meeting on three occasions. 

Asked if he sympathised with the public’s frustration over the scandal, he said: “I can understand it when they’ve been wound up about it in this way by you. 

“I find it difficult to understand why the Daily Echo finds this matter so interesting.”

He added that “the principle of confidentiality is a very important one to uphold in 
hospitals”.

He said the Department of Health and regular regulator Monitor had “cleared” the trust of any legal wrongdoings. 

He said that there had been other senior figures in the NHS who had been reappointed in a similar way to Mr Fozard after retiring. 

Asked whether he considered the story newsworthy, he responded: “It is not newsworthy. There are far better stories going on – but I’m not going to tell you about them."

He defended his position by stating that he works “very hard seven days a week” and that he “even has to pay for [his] own phone calls”. 

He admitted he did not know about Mr Fozard’s planned reappointment and that “not every governor read down to page 159 of the annual report”, which is where the decision was first published. 

He said he could not say whether any further information would be released to the media following the meeting. 

A spokesperson for hospital regulator Monitor dismissed Mr Gee’s claim that the trust had been “cleared”. 

She said: “We did not provide the trust, which is an independent organisation, with legal guidance or advice about the employment of individuals.”