The timing of the announcement of the early retirement of Bradford NHS Hospitals Trust chief executive David Jackson, the day after Tony Blair blamed Trust bosses for its £11.3 million financial crisis, is bound to raise suspicions that he is being pushed out. After all, he is only 57 and is on record as saying that he would see the job through.

Undoubtedly the Trust has been beset by financial problems but surely they can't be all of its own making? Given its excellent past financial record the question must be asked: what has changed? The answer is that it was granted Foundation status.

The Prime Minister has denied it, but the arrangements the Government has put in place for the way the Foundation Trust is funded has caused great difficulties.

David Jackson came in a dozen years ago after the previous chief executive left in not dissimilar circumstances. He was given the task of turning the fortunes of Bradford hospitals around and did so with remarkable success. The hospitals were deemed to perform so well that they were granted three-star status and they were considered suitable to be turned into a pioneering Foundation Trust.

That latter honour, it now seems, has been the Trust's downfall. And the way other trusts are going, it's a long way from being the only one.

The inevitable conclusion must be that David Jackson - who, until recently, was sufficiently highly-rated to be awarded a CBE - has nevertheless been made another scapegoat for a Government policy which has turned out to be a bright idea not properly followed through. It will be interesting to see what his successor makes of the challenges he or she will inherit.