THE chairman of the hospitals' trust which has been shamed by a damning report into superbug outbreaks has stepped down.

James Lee resigned from the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust on Monday. The news was announced in the House of Commons by Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

His resignation comes days after the publication of a shock Healthcare Comission report, which found that two outbreaks of Clostridium Difficile (C-diff) between October 2005 and September 2006 killed 90 people and infected as many as 1,170 patients.

The report also found a total of 345 patients who died at the trust’s three hospitals in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Pembury, from various causes had the infection.

Rose Gibb, the chief executive in charge during the two outbreaks, stepped down on October 5.

On Monday members of the health trust held emergency talks with Kent County Council about the hospital crisis.

Meanwhile, Kent Air Ambulance confirmed it has resumed flights to Maidstone Hospital, after suspending them on Thursday.

The charity has now secured an assurance from the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority that it is safe to take patients to Maidstone Hospital.