A failing health trust has refused to disclose the financial settlements given to two of its bosses who resigned on the eve of the release of a damning report into care failings at Whipps Cross Hospital.

In a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Guardian, Barts Health trust failed to release the "sensitive personal data" relating to financial package given to chief executive Peter Morris and chief nurse Professor Kay Riley.

The pair resigned weeks before the publication of the report, which found widespread failings in care at and a culture of staff bullying by managers across the Leytonstone hospital.

Since the FOI was submitted, chairman Stephen O'Brien and finance director Mark Ogden have also announced they will step down.

The Barts Health response said: "The trust considers that this data is sensitive personal data and exempt from disclosure in accordance with Section 40(2) of the FOI Act.”   

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report on Whipps Cross published last week rated urgent and emergency care, general medical care, surgery, end-of-life care, outpatients and services for children and young people as inadequate. 

Inspectors concluded patients were put at risk through insufficient staffing, high use of agency staff and low staff morale and discovered a culture of bullying and harassment of staff by management. 

As a result, England's largest trust has been placed in special measures and ordered to take urgent action to protect patient safety and improve services. 

Barts Health's debt was revealed last month to have risen from around £44million last summer to £93million.

Yesterday the trust said land would be sold off on the hospital site to finance improvements.

It also runs Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, St Bartholomews in The City, Newham University Hospital, Mile End Hospital and the London Chest Clinic.