The manager of a once-proud establishment in Plymouth has been heartlessly sacked, less than a year after it was converted to a hospice. Mr Peter Reid lost his job at the Argyle Home Park hospice after eight successive losses, even though all eight were expected given the circumstances.
Mr Reid leaves after just 15 months in the job, during which time he has overseen the departure of some of Plymouth’s most popular servants. Although regrettable, Mr Reid insists that there was nothing he could to to stop Mr Wright-Phillips and Mr Noone from slipping away last winter. Many others have followed and Mr Reid's dismissal follows a series of further disappointments, despite brave battles against all the odds.
Mr Reid has many supporters though, many of whom plan to demonstrate their disapproval of his sacking this coming Saturday. "Peter Reid has acted with great dignity despite a complete lack of support from the owners," said one such supporter, calling himself Pilgrim Pete. "I invite everyone to join us to protest about this and try to save Argyle for future generations."
The Complete Misnomer Trust, who nominally own the hospice but supply no funding whatsoever, was unrepentant about firing Mr Reid however. Head of the Trust, £20k a month Mr Peter Lyre-Ridsdale said, "He had to go. This is a results business and results have not been good enough. I expect miracles and Mr Reid has been sacked for his inability to save the terminally ill."
(I'll be there on Saturday, anyone else?)
