CQC hears reports of racism and bullying at Leeds hospitals trust
Inspectors have criticised leadership at an under-fire hospital trust after receiving complaints about racism and bullying.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection in June into how Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was being run after concerns were raised about maternity and neonatal services.
It rated the trust's leadership as "requires improvement".
CQC director of operations Rob Assall said: “Leaders didn’t always listen to concerns, and some staff had negative experiences when they voiced issues, which impacted their wellbeing and the quality of people’s care.
"We received several in-depth accounts from staff of bullying and harassment in the workplace which provided evidence of behaviours which didn’t align with the trust’s values."
Their CQC's report said the complaints came from a "relatively small number of staff" but included "all grades, designations and racial backgrounds of staff".
Leeds was one of 14 maternity trusts named by the health secretary this month as facing investigation for “systemic” failures in care.
The CQC had already downgraded its rating of the trust's maternity provision to "inadequate" after dozens of families affected by avoidable deaths of babies or mothers called for an independent inquiry into alleged failings.
The trust runs Leeds General Infirmary, St James's Hospital, Leeds Children's Hospital, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Wharfedale Hospital, Seacroft Hospital and Leeds Dental Institute.
Mr Assall said leaders were "aware of the challenges they faced, however some weren’t as clear on how services could be improved which negatively impacted on how services were run".
However, the report noted that the trust's leaders had "strong relationships with local and national partnership organisations" and had taken steps to improve the effectiveness of the board.
The trust's interim chief executive Brendan Brown said the CQC received reports of colleagues being subjected to "racist and bullying behaviours" and some staff "said their concerns weren’t listened to".
He added: "I want to sincerely apologise to those colleagues. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where colleagues feel safe, respected, and supported, but we clearly have more work to do to ensure racism, discrimination and bullying have no place in our hospitals."
He said the trust would respond to the CQC's concerns, adding: "We must focus on listening to our patients, our communities and our colleagues and be more curious about what we’re told. We also need to improve on how we act on what we hear.
"These changes need to happen quickly, as it is what the people we care for and work alongside expect and deserve."
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