CONSULTANT chief Dr Clive Studd cited four main reasons for the vote of no confidence.

Dr Studd, who is chairman of the Medical Staff Committee, highlighted:

- The premature downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital.

- An inappropriate reconfiguration of clinical services across the county.

- An excessively complicated and ineffective organisational structure.

- A bullying management culture.

He said: "The trust board has taken three hospitals which previously worked in a reasonably effective way for their communities and through (the above) has diminished the quality of patients' experience of hospital care, dramatically reduced staff morale and slowed progress and innovation in local healthcare."

Dr Studd said consultants wanted to see "significant" changes on the trust board.

If not, they would call on new chairman Michael O'Riordan, who takes up his post on January 1, to take action.

The only board member to receive a vote of confidence was acting chief executive Paul Taylor.

Meanwhile, outgoing trust chairman Harold Musgrove, decried the vote as "misguided".

He said: "I can understand some of the concerns of the consultants who have been, and are, faced with changes which impact on them personally.

"But we were extremely disappointed some members of the committee, whose interests are very well represented on the trust board, chose to press ahead with this divisive and demoralising secret vote without any attempt to speak to us about their concerns."