Bermuda Hospitals Board chairman Jonathan Brewin says former hospitals CEO Stephanie Reid was not fired ? despite the damning Kurron report which said she should be.

Mrs. Reid was given a year?s extension to her contract in November 2002 while a Bermudian replacement was found but left in May last year when Joan Dillas-Wright replaced her.

Mr. Brewin said he had not seen the Kurron report when he made the decision to remove her shortly after he took over.

He said: ?I don?t want to talk about things that happened under a previous watch but it was clear we needed to make changes.?

His stance was the same as last year when he said the hospital had needed financial restructuring and, as the new financial year had started, it made sense to start with a new team.

The Kurron report called for Mrs. Reid to be fired after saying the hospitals sorely lacked ?effective, responsive leadership at the CEO and senior management levels.?

Mr. Brewin said: ?She did institute many advances.?

Mrs. Dillas-Wright is to retire in December 2005 but Mr. Brewin said the plan was to have someone lined up before then.

?Succession planning is very much at the top of our agenda.?