Chief of under-fire NHS trust set to retire

Ifti Majid had intended to retire on his 60th birthday in October but the trust said he will stay in post for the Nottingham attacks inquiry next year

The chief executive of an under-fire mental health trust, which treated the Nottingham attacks killer, has announced he will retire next year.

Ifti Majid had intended to retire from the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust on his 60th birthday in October but the trust said he will stay in post for the public inquiry hearings next year before leaving in June 2026.

The mental health trust was involved in the care of Valdo Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic who killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in Nottingham in June 2023.

Mr Majid previously said the trust "let down" families of Calocane's victims and added he was "truly sorry" over failings in his care.

Calocane was under Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's care from May 2020 to September 2022.

Last year, a damning report was released by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which the victims' families said demonstrated "gross, systemic failures in the mental health trust".

In January 2024, it was reported that more than 30 members of staff across the trust had been suspended.

Rampton Hospital, ran by the trust, was rated "inadequate" by the CQC, in the same month.

Earlier this year, the BBC found two men with paranoid schizophrenia under the trust's care had stabbed members of the public in separate attacks weeks before Calocane's killings.

In April, the trust announced plans to withdraw from a contract to provide healthcare to prison inmates.

The trust has said major improvements have since been made.

'Hope for the future'

Ahead of his retirement Mr Majid, who has served more than 42 years in the NHS, said it had been a privilege to work at the trust.

"Barely a day goes by in this NHS Trust without me hearing of some innovation, act of compassion or extra effort that has made a real difference to somebody's life," he said.

"That is what gives me hope for the future of our services and our trust.

"The efforts of our staff and volunteers, on behalf of our patients and service users, are truly magnificent."

Trust chairman Paul Devlin added: "I want to thank Ifti for his long career in the provision of mental health, learning disability and autism services.

"In every role he has held, including most recently as chief executive of two trusts, he has been driven by a focus on delivering the very best for people in need.

"His compassion continues to be inspiring every single day and is a welcome north star in our highly pressured NHS."

The trust will now recruit and appoint a successor for Mr Majid ahead of his departure.