Marie Burnham, who only became chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust last July, has been moved to another post after just 12 months at the helm.

Miss Burnham (pictured left) has been seconded to NHS North West (the body leading the NHS across the North-West) to "lead the regional response to flu".

She was a controversial appointment last July when it emerged her former Trust in Cumbria was being taken to a race discrimination tribunal.

A panel upheld 16 out of 27 complaints made against the North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. A significant pay-out to the complainant, Dr Sarina Saiger, is expected in September.

Miss Burnham is now the fourth high-profile figure to leave the East Lancashire Trust in 18 months. They include her predecessor Jo Cubbon and two former chairmen, Christine Kirk and Alan Green.

She will be replaced by Diane Whittingham who will juggle the important role with her current job as chief executive of the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. Mrs Whittingham will join as interim chief executive in mid-August. 

A statement said Miss Burnham was selected for her new role of regional Director of Flu and NHS Resilience because of her "extensive experience as a chief executive and her work on preparing for a potential flu pandemic within East Lancashire.

Mr Ken Morris, interim chairman of the Trust, said: "While the board recognised the importance of releasing Marie to take up this role for the wider NHS in the North West as soon as possible, we only agreed to do so once we had made sure we had the right person to step into Marie's shoes.

"Diane Whittingham has extensive experience of running a Trust serving a similar population to East Lancashire and of delivering major change across a trust with two main sites and Private Finance Initiative developments. I am confident Diane will play a key role in making sure

But Burnley Council leader and hospital campaigner Gordon Birtwistle slammed the decision, calling it "diabolical" and an "utter nightmare".

He said: "Over the last 18 months we have now lost two chief executives and two chairmen. The biggest problem though is that we will be sharing our next chief executive.

"The Royal Blackburn Hospital is in meltdown and this job requires a full-time leader to solve the problems. If the ship is sinking you need more than half a captain. It is diabolical and a disgrace. How can a Trust with a quarter of a million people be expected to share one chief executive? It is the patients that will suffer."

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