A HEALTH chief who sensationally announced Worcestershire's hospital services were "disgraceful" is quitting his post.

Harold Musgrove will step down as chairman of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of the year.

His decision comes less than a month after he admitted the county's new PFI hospital will be around 80 beds short when it opens in spring 2002 - an issue campaigners have been raising since the new facility was mooted.

"At the moment we're 70 to 80 beds short," he told a Trust board meeting last month.

He also revealed he was concerned about winter pressures and bed blockers.

"We've got a duty to our nurses to get these patients out," he said.

"They were at their wits' end in Ronkswood the other night."

Mr Musgrove sent a letter to staff and colleagues announcing his move and said he had had "immense enjoyment" during his term which started in April last year.

"Although there is still a considerable amount of work to be completed in Worcestershire, every opportunity is now available to bring the acute facilities to a standard to which all concerned will be proud," he said.

"We must ensure that the significant problem that has previously been so obvious in Worcestershire - paralysis by analysis - is not allowed to be re-introduced and stop the outstanding facilities and staff being fully operational for patients."

Former Rover chairman and chief executive Mr Musgrove has spent 10 years working in the NHS as a non-executive chairman.

His damning comments about the "disgraceful" state of the county's hospital services were made in a letter to city MP Mike Foster last year.

"I walked into the A&E department at approximately 6pm in early April and I felt ashamed to be associated with the acute hospitals," his letter read.

"We must understand the complaints of the patients because services within Worcestershire, certainly at the time of April 2000, were disgraceful."

He later said the Trust was "on the right track" towards making improvements.

He will continue as chairman in Worcestershire until December 31 and a replacement will be recruited over the coming months.

A Trust spokeswoman said it wished to thank Mr Musgrove for "his time, dedication and commitment to acute hospital services in the county and the significant improvements he has led so purposefully."