Hospital dismisses medical director from role

A hospital trust has sacked one of its senior doctors with immediate effect after its relationship with him "broke down irreparably".

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust told staff on Monday that executive medical director Dr Timothy Noble had been dismissed.

The trust's interim chair of the board, Mark Bailey, said the decision had been reached after "a full and independent process" and that it was "a matter of real regret that this could not be resolved differently".

The British Medical Association (BMA) previously claimed that Noble had raised concerns about bullying and harassment and had been "unlawfully excluded" from his role since September 2024.

Noble, who started his career as a consultant respiratory physician at the trust in 2006, was appointed executive medical director in 2020.

According to the email circulated by the trust, a panel with no previous connection to the matter, the organisation or those involved had "reviewed the facts and made an impartial, dispassionate judgment without fear or favour".

The outcome reflected the full findings of that independent process, it said, and concluded that the employment relationship "had broken down irreparably".

"At a senior level, where trust and alignment are critical, that breakdown meant the situation, unfortunately, was no longer compatible with the responsibilities of leadership or the working environment required to both support and direct the delivery of safe, effective care for our patients and communities," Bailey wrote.

"We want to recognise Dr Noble's contribution since joining the Trust in 2006. We are grateful for his service, and it is a matter of real regret that this could not be resolved differently."

In December, the BMA said it was aware of "significant" concerns across the trust in relation to bullying and "the loss of experienced and capable senior staff", which it claimed was linked to "the poor culture in the organisation".

In the most recent report published by the Care Quality Commission in 2024, the watchdog said it had received "several whistleblowing concerns", with staff reporting they did not feel respected, supported and valued at DBTH.

The organisation is currently rated as requiring improvement.

The trust said a full recruitment process for Noble's role would begin in due course, with interim leadership arrangements remaining in place meanwhile.

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