THE chief executive of Dorset's troubled ambulance trust has stepped down.

John Cape is working in other posts for the Dorset and Somerset Health Authority while an outside team investigates problems in the Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust.

Mr Cape was spearheading the trust when it won awards for excellence - the Chartermark and Investors in People quality awards - last year.

The trust has also come in the top 10 ambulance services in the country for response times, responding to around 76 per cent of immediately life-threatening calls within eight minutes.

But Mr Cape has come under scrutiny from the health authority for alleged poor management and he has stepped aside to allow independent investigators to carry out a full assessment - the results of which could be published as early as October.

The chairman of Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust Trevor Jones said: "Concerns have been expressed about the management performance, management style and reporting of information within the trust and an external team is being established to conduct a review.

"The external team will commence work early this month and is being asked to report its findings to the Dorset and Somerset Health Authority.

"John Cape, chief executive of the Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust, is keen to assist the external team and will be voluntarily taking a secondment within the Dorset and Somerset Health Authority while the review takes place.

"John will lead a review of emergency care throughout Dorset and Somerset. This will involve working closely with the chief executives from throughout the two counties' health community to ensure that the best practice outlined in 'Reforming Emergency Care' is progressed in local NHS organisations."

While Mr Cape is taking on other roles, director of operations Roger Ferre will be taking over as acting chief executive.