Vennells 'refused to quit' £50,000-a-year NHS role after Horizon scandal broke

Paula Vennells reportedly refused to give up a job as chair of an NHS trust after news of the Post Office scandal broke.

- MARYAM ZAKIR-HUSSAIN

The former chief executive of the Post Office allegedly rejected private requests from directors at Imperial Hospitals Healthcare NHS Trust for her to step back.

The trigger was only pulled when one director threatened to resign if Ms Vennells did not go, according to The Times. The paper reported Ms Vennells gave assurances about her conduct to remain in her posts as chair at Imperial Hospitals Healthcare NHS Trust, which it said paid £50,000 a year.

Her refusal to leave meant she was in the post for a further 16 months after a judge ruled that the Horizon system was to blame for the scandal in December 2019. However, Ms Vennells remained in her role until April 2021.

A senior source told the newspaper that Ms Vennells was “quite tin-eared”. They said: “She was told, ‘This is not the trust’s baggage, this is your baggage – why did you burden the trust with it?’ Someone threatened to resign. That was what finally triggered it.”