MP’s call for investigation into departure of Trust chief executive after revelations of extra marital affairs cover up

John Archer

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk has called on the Health Secretary to investigate whether taxpayers’ money was used to protect the £175,000 a year boss of Pennine Care mental health trust, after a whistleblower said she was paid off to try and cover up extra marital affairs.

Mr Danczuk said he had seen evidence suggesting improper behavior by John Archer with female colleagues dating back to 2003. He added that he was concerned that the Trust appeared to have turned a blind eye to improper behaviour and tried to cover it up.

“Constituents first brought this to my attention and some of the lurid stories I’ve heard are not edifying,” he said. “I have made it very clear to senior directors at the Trust that highly salaried public servants like John Archer should not be allowed to sneak out of the back door when they are being investigated for misconduct.

“This has all the hallmarks of a grubby cover up and behaviour like this has no place in a modern NHS.

"It now appears that concerns were raised about Mr Archer’s behavior some time back and, on every occasion, efforts were made to suppress complaints.”

He added that he had written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt asking him to investigate whether taxpayers’ money had been used to pay off whistleblowers to protect the reputation of the chief executive and cover up disreputable behaviour.

In response, a spokesman for the Trust said: "The Trust has previously disclosed that during an investigation into Mr Archer’s conduct, there were grounds to suspect that he had misled a separate investigation seven years previously.

"The Trust found that Mr Archer had lied to an investigation about having an affair with a colleague in 2005 and as such, Mr Archer decided to resign before disciplinary proceedings could take place.

"The 2005 investigation concerned a grievance between two staff members. A number of employees, including Mr Archer, were interviewed as part of the investigation. During the process, it was alleged that Mr Archer was having an affair with a colleague, which both parties denied when formally interviewed. No conclusive proof was found, leaving no grounds for disciplinary action. At that time, there was no evidence to suggest that Mr Archer had breached his authority or acted outside of probity as Chief Executive.

"This investigation was conducted independently by a former Non-Executive Director and external investigator in accordance with the Trust’s grievance procedures.

"The Trust did not pay off staff or make compromise agreements because staff made allegations about John Archer having an affair.

"The Trust takes the matter of staff raising concerns extremely seriously and will take appropriate action to investigate concerns and protect those who come forward.

"All staff are supported and encouraged to raise concerns at work and the Trust will take appropriate action if an employee, no matter what role or position, is found to be behaving improperly. This has been upheld by the most recent independent investigation into Mr Archer’s conduct that led to his immediate suspension and subsequent resignation."