The size of the pay-off to Annette Sergeant, outgoing chief executive of East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust (The Argus, July 27) raises serious questions about the conduct of the Trust boards non-executives (including the chairman) who approved this payment.

Non-executives, who form the majority on every NHS board, have a responsibility to stand up for the public interest and raise whatever challenge is necessary to achieve this.

of it back when she obtained an equivalent job elsewhere, no doubt on a similar salary?

They seem to have fallen down on their job and let the public down badly. Their furtiveness surrounding this matter and the chairman's unilluminating comments strongly reinforce this impression.

The staff and patients of the hospital and taxpayers everywhere deserve better.

-Peter Reeves, Hove