What next, a plague of locusts?

Disasters come in threes, apparently. If so, managers at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust should brace themselves for what 2008 might throw at them.

For this is the Trust exposed by the Healthcare Commission last October for an "avoidable tragedy" when an outbreak of C.difficile - a bacterial infection of the gut which mainly affects the elderly – resulted in the deaths of 90 patients.

As if that wasn’t enough bad PR for a decade, they were named last week as one of the eight Trusts revealed to have lost discs of patient data.

Clearly some butterfingered NHS manager has dropped every mirror in the trust simultaneously.

Now they are advertising for a “Chair” to spearhead their efforts at “business recovery and improving customer service standards”.

They are looking for an “exceptional individual” with the “enthusiasm, energy, firm resolve and creative flair.” Presumably needed to explain away the catalogue of errors

Cryptically, the advert recognizes that “the Trust has had a troubled past, both clinically and financially. It now needs an exceptional team to drive forward improvements in patient care and governance standards.” I’d say that’s the understatement of the year.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the role pays a nice £22,524 salary. For a three day week.

WCH