The CEO of the Frimly Health NHS Foundation Trust, Sir Andrew Morris OBE, was reported for making a 'sexist' remark during a meeting last Wednesday, July 19.

Sir Andrew Morris is considered to be among the top NHS CEO's – the Health Service Journal named him as the most influential Health Trust CEO across NHS England in February this year.

Sir Morris had been speaking at the King's Fund, an independent charity that focuses on improving healthcare, when he said: “Usually the blokes die off first because they're nagged to death by the other half”.

Sir Morris had been speaking at a closed event hosted by NHS England, in the King's Fund building in Cavendish Square, London. The statement was made in the presence of the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, in addition to NHS England head Simon Stevens.

Jon Rouse, Chief Officer of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, tweeted: “Sir Andrew Morris just made extraordinary sexist comment. Dinosaurs still roam in East Berkshire.”

In a statement released after the meeting Sir Morris said: “I made a comment that I realised right away was completely inappropriate. I would like to apologise unreservedly for any offence that it caused.”

The meeting included STP's (Sustainability and Transformation Plans) regarding the three hospitals the Frimly Health NHS Trust manages: Frimly Park, Heatherwood, and Wexham Park.

Sir Morris had been alluding to the fact that life expectancy is longer for woman than it is for men. In the most recent national study in September 2016, the average life expectancy was 79.1 years for men, and 82.8 years for women.