Interim CEO steps down after one day

The interim chief executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council has stepped down after one day in the role, over concerns about a race discrimination case.

The NMC announced on Thursday last week that Dawn Brodrick would take up the role from yesterday, Monday.

But Ms Brodrick’s appointment was met with immediate criticism from campaigners who pointed out she was the chief people officer at King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust when it had to pay a £1m claim for prominent race discrimination case.

Late on Friday, the NMC said it had carried out due diligence on Ms Brodrick and defended the decision to appoint her, saying she had “impressed” against its requirements for an interim CEO.

The academic and healthcare race equality champion Roger Kline, and former Labour MP Ann Keen, who has advised shadow health and social care secretary Wes Streeting on nursing, have continued to raise concerns.

This morning the NMC confirmed Ms Brodrick had stepped down. In a message to stakeholders, chair Sir David Warren said: “Dawn has decided she will not be taking up the role.”

The regulator is due to publish two reviews of its own staff culture this summer, which sources told HSJ were expected to be critical.

Ms Brodrick was chief people officer at Kings from 2015 to 2020. IT manager Richard Hastings was sacked over assault allegations but an employment tribunal was highly critical of the trust’s handling of the investigation against him, which was described as “one sided and inadequate.” Ms Brodrick was not named in the judgment but HR processes were criticised.

Last night Mr Kline and Ms Keen submitted several Freedom of Information requests to the NMC about the appointment, including for the job advert, which members of its council members supported the appointment, whether the Department of Health and Social Care had raised concerns, and whether concerns raised by nurses, midwives and others had been taken into account.

Chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe is standing down due to illness and a permanent replacement has yet to be appointed.