UNDER FIRE hospital boss Mark Hackett is remaining tight-lipped over his controversial appointment after he left his previous health trust in the grip of a financial crisis.

The chief executive was chosen to pull Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust out of the red - despite local health chiefs knowing about the debts his previous organisation had run up in Wolverhampton.

With a £145,000 salary Mr Hackett, 41, who took up his Southampton post in August, faces an uphill battle to get the city's hospitals back on track financially.

The troubled trust, which runs Southampton General, the Princess Anne and the Royal South Hants hospitals, currently has an £11.3m deficit, and has just agreed to make up to 100 staff redundant and axe around 85 beds.

Today, after an independent review criticised Mr Hackett for failing to balance the books in Wolverhampton, union leaders were asking health authority bosses: "Why was he appointed here?"

Steve Brazier, Unison regional head of health, told the Daily Echo: "He was appointed to clear up the financial situation at South-ampton but his record is no better than his predecessors.

"The news comes as a further blow to staff and patient confidence in the trust.

"We call on the health authority to review this appointment."

But today trust bosses were standing by their man.

Richard Keightley, South-ampton University Hospitals NHS Trust chairman, previously issued a statement saying that Mr Hackett was still considered the right man to move the organisation forward, but declined to comment further.

Trust spokesman Peter Campion would only confirm that the financial situation at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust had been discussed when Mr Hackett was interviewed for the Southampton post.

The 25-page independent review criticised Mr Hackett for energetically pursuing every opportunity to expand the trust - at the expense of balancing the books.

Today Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority, the body that supports the trust, admitted the report highlighted a number of significant lessons for the whole of the NHS, but defended Mr Hackett's appointment.

A spokesman said: "Mark Hackett was appointed as chief executive of Southamp-ton University Hospitals Trust in August 2004, following an extremely thorough and externally assured recruitment process.

"Since his appointment, Mr Hackett has been very clear about the challenging financial position he has inherited, and has ensured that the whole trust is focused on solving these financial challenges.

"He and his board are committed to developing and implementing a plan to reduce the level of forecast deficit for 2004/05 and to bring the trust into financial balance as quickly as possible."