Ambulance boss steps down after battling 'severe coronavirus'

Dorothy Hosein, who took over leadership at the East of England Ambulance Service in 2018, said she is still recovering from the illness in a message to staff on Wednesday.

Employees were informed of the news in an email from trust chair Nicola Scrivings which recognised changes in leadership can be "unsettling", adding that current medical director Dr Tom Davis will continue as interim CEO until a replacement is found.

Announcing her decision to step down, Ms Hosein told staff: "This is not easy as I have enjoyed my time with you, and am proud of the work you do every day.

"However, I have recently suffered from ill health, including a severe bout of Covid-19 from which I am still recovering, so it is with great sadness that I have decided to relinquish my post to focus on my recovery.

"Staff are at the heart of the service, and it has been an absolute pleasure working with employees of EEAST. As many of you know it has been really important to me to try and demonstrate my commitment and passion for better engagement with staff, and I hope that you have seen this over the past two years."

Ambulance service chief executive Dorothy Hosein, centre, has been off sick since September. Dr Tom Davis (left) is acting CEO and Dr Sreeman Andole (right) who is the new improvement director Pictures: EEAST/ARCHANT (Image: EEAST/ARCHANT)

She went on to say she felt proud of the improvements made by the service in recent months, including a strong response to Covid-19 in 2020.

The trust was rocked by a highly critical Care Quality Commission inspection in September 2020, in which the watchdog uncovered allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.

A total of 13 employees were referred to the police for their behaviour.

Following the publication of the report, Ms Hosein and her fellow leaders vowed to make improvements at the service.

However, the CEO had been off on sick leave since the end of September with Dr Davis taking over her duties.