Who is the new acting boss of St George's Hospital? What we know so far

There had been speculation for several days that Mr Scott would be leaving his role, and it was confirmed in an internal email sent to staff on April 22.

Today: Chief Executive of St George's Hospital trust steps down just weeks after appearing to defy Jeremy Hunt on junior doctor contracts

Replacing him is Dr Paula Vasco-Knight, who has been with St George's for eight months as chief operating officer below Mr Scott.

Dr Vasco-Knight has previously been a chief executive officer, working at the South Devon Healthcare Foundation Trust until the end of May 2014. 

The BBC reported that she was suspended from her role in February 2014, amid claims of nepotism, when she recruited her daughter's boyfriend to a job at Torbay Hospital.

At the time, in a statement, South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: "Notwithstanding the judgment of the tribunal, Dr Vasco-Knight asserts that an independent report commissioned by a former chair of the trust prior to the tribunal found no evidence that Dr Vasco-Knight had breached trust policies."

At an employment tribunal, a judge found that a "concerted effort by the South Devon Healthcare Trust to manipulate the investigation, accuse the claimants of malice, suppress the report and to mislead the other parties as to its contents, with the apparent aim of protecting Dr Vasco-Knight and Mrs Murphy against the force of the claimant's allegations". 

She resigned in May 2014, saying she had decided to relocate to the north west of England for "family reasons".

After her resignation, Dr Vasco-Knight became a management consultant at East Lancashire Hospitals, where it was said she was paid £1,000 a day according to the Lancashire Telegraph.

According to NHS Employers, she "became the first BME (black and minority ethnic) female chief executive officer of a foundation trust in 2008 and is now the only female chief executive officer in the NHS with an African heritage".

She has one Nigerian grandfather and one Scottish grandfather.

The NHS employers profile on her, written in September 2012, says her nickname is Tigger and "a great believer in the importance of good communication, Paula writes to staff on a regular basis, to share and celebrate good practice and thank individuals who, through their work, have demonstrated her values for the trust: ‘everyone counts’, ‘working together’ and ‘respect for all’.

On her Twitter page, Dr Vasco-Knight describes herself as "CEO Torbay hospital National Lead Equality, Practising Nurse". 

Her LinkedIn page currently gives her roles as a "turnaround director/director of transformation" for Solitaire healthcare, where she says she had been since July 2014, and interim chief operating officer, a role she has held since September 2015. 

Solitaire Healthcare was set up by Stephen Vasco-Knight on July 7, 2014, but he resigned as a director just eight days later, leaving Dr Vasco-Knight as the sole director of the company. 

The company's net worth is £23,000.

On the St George's website, Dr Vasco-Knight's biography said: "Paula joined St George’s in September 2015 as interim chief operating officer and began her career as a nurse and still works clinically, committed to making a difference to patients, their families and communities, locally, nationally and internationally, over a 20 year period as a leader in the NHS.

"Paula has held a number of senior positions in different organisations, including: chief executive/chief operating officer, executive director of operations and service improvement, executive director of nursing and midwifery, deputy director of nursing and governance and senior nurse manager.

"Paula Vasco-Knight received a CBE in 2014 and honouree doctorate in Law from Exeter University."

The Wandsworth Guardian has requested an interview with Dr Vasco-Knight.