THE chief executive of a health trust has stepped down after four years in the post.

A statement issued by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said that Rose Gibb was leaving to pursue new challenges.

The statement went on: "Mrs Gibb and chairman James Lee have agreed that this is the right moment for her to move on and she will leave with effect from October 8.”

The news comes only days before a report into the outbreak of a deadly bug at hospitals run by the trust is due to be published.

The Health Care Commission will publish its report on Thursday into outbreaks of Clostridium Difficile (C-diff) at Maidstone Hospital and at the Kent and Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells. The year-long investigation was launched last September.

Mr Lee said of Mrs Gibb’s departure: “Rose leaves the trust in significantly better shape than she found it. I will be sorry to see her go and we will all miss her.”

The statement said the trust had improved enormously during her time there.

It added: “She inherited a troubled organisation, zero rated, in significant deficit and badly in need of organisational change. Under her leadership, performance has improved, financial control has been strengthened and patient care is better.

“She has successfully guided the PFI for the new Pembury Hospital to a position that should enable the trust to close the contract early next year.

"In addition, she has been instrumental in reshaping services, through a combination of investment in advances such as our new cardiac labs and reorganisation of services such as urology and maternity.”

Mrs Gibb said: “Being the chief executive of MTW has never been easy. At times it has been really hard, but overall it has been incredibly rewarding, and it has been rewarding principally because of the thousands of extraordinary people who work at MTW.”

Mr Lee confirmed that the process of appointing a new chief executive may take a few months. Meanwhile, Glenn Douglas, who is currently chief executive of Ashford and St Peters in Surrey, will be taking the reins as interim chief executive from October 8.