AN INDEPENDENT review into the workings of Bury Hospice in the past two years is to take place.

Leaders of the charity have called in a management consultant to conduct the investigation and they will be given free rein to interview staff and read paperwork.

There have been long-running concerns tabled by staff, former staff and former trustees of bad decision making and poor financial management since the hospice moved to its £2.8 million premises in April, 2014.

While the hospice leadership maintain that they are satisfied with how the charity was run in that time, they have called the review to draw a line under the allegations, which led to the resignation of hospice chairman Colin Greene last November.

The Bury Times reported last year that several employees had brought grievances against managers over how they were allegedly treated and that the board was unwilling to suspend the chief executive Jacqui Comber without prejudice during the grievance procedure.

Two trustees resigned from the board and said it was in protest at that decision.

When he resigned, Mr Greene said various accusations against the hospice were "unjustified" and came from "a small core of people working against the good name" of the hospice.

However, he felt that others saw his view as "clouded and not objective," leading to him stepping down.

The hope is athat the independent review will get to the bottom of that and other contentious issues raised in the past two years.

The hospice's acting chairman Margaret Lloyd said: "To continue with their determination to make Bury Hospice the best it can be, the trustees have invited an independent management consultant to review the running of the hospice over the last two years.

"If there are lessons to learn from past actions and experiences, this will allow the board and management to continue to develop the hospice in the safest and most positive way over future months and years.

"Further details will be made public when they are available.

"On the completion of this review, the report will be submitted to Bury NHS Clinical Commissioning Group for their consideration and recommendations."