The management of the ward was heavily criticised

Andrew Butters has moved to another role within the health service after leaving Manchester's Withington Hospital.

The hospital's Rowan ward, where mentally ill elderly patients were treated, was condemned by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) in September.

The CHI's report said patients were found with bruises and scalds, but allegations of physical and mental abuse were never proven.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust was criticised for a "total management failure".

They handled this very, very badly from the outset Sean Collins, relative

The trust said Mr Butters was leaving to take on a "strategic lead" within the North West, leading a "key priority NHS project", and was nothing to do with the critical CHI report.

He will be replaced by Laura Roberts, who is currently the chief executive of North Manchester Primary Care Trust.

But Karen Riceman, of the union Unison, said she thought Mr Butters departure was related to the Rowan ward scandal.

She said: "We think it is a combination of that and the ongoing cuts that have been approved ever since that report was made.

"We've had mass meetings in the last week where we have unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Andrew Butters because he is the driving force behind the plan to balance our budget and make cuts, particularly in the elderly service, whatever the cost to patients and staff that those cuts might make."

'Examine their consciences'

Sean Collins, whose father-in-law Frank Maylor was allegedly beaten with a steel hairbrush at Rowan ward, said it had been "very difficult" for families to cope with how their relatives had been treated.

He added: "I think they need to examine their own consciences about this.

"They handled this very, very badly from the outset and I just have great reservations about their ability to deal with situations like this in the future.

"I think that's something that may well be repeated.

"From our point of view the lessons haven't been learned, this will happen again, and the patients, although they are the most vulnerable people, they are also the ones that are most easily forgotten by the public.