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‘I acted in good faith’ says Letby trust CEO

A former trust chief executive at the centre of the Lucy Letby scandal has defended his actions, stating both he and other executives were “acting in good faith”.

Tony Chambers, who led The Countess of Chester Foundation Trust from December 2012 until September 2018, spoke publicly for the first time since Letby’s conviction last year, giving evidence to the public inquiry into the events.

Neonatal nurse Letby was convicted last year of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder seven more, from 2015-16, while working in the hospital.

Mr Chambers told the inquiry on Wednesday: “I stand by the decisions that we made. We were acting in good faith. I was acting in good faith. I listened to the doctors when they raised their concerns. I also listened to the nurses when they raised their support [for Letby].”

Since her conviction, Chester paediatricians have accused the executives of pushing back on concerns they raised, rather than taking them seriously. Part of their response was to commission several internal and external reviews.

Mr Chambers defended his actions. “I was being presented with things that, at times, felt quite binary. I never took a binary view. I listened to both. 

“Therefore, Letby was removed from frontline duties and therefore we also focused on the safety of the unit, redesignated [downgraded it so it did not take high-risk cases] and so forth, and all the inquiries that went through were done all in good faith.

“The biggest cause of unnatural, unexplained deaths in maternity and neonatal units is not deliberate harm, but failure in systems of care. There are many examples. The Kirkup report, the Ockenden report, many, many examples.”

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2024

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‘Humiliated’ trust staff complain of ‘unprofessional behaviour’ and ‘lack of compassion’

‘Unprofessional’ behaviours, a lack of compassion, and tension among staff and managers are all contributing to pockets of ‘poor culture’ at an acute trust.

A Freedom to Speak Up report presented to the board of Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust found there had been an increase in bullying and reports of staff members being “humiliated” during the last three months.

The report, which covers the first two quarters of 2021-22, highlighted a “lack of compassion, kindness, and understanding” between colleagues and noted “increasing levels of frustration” that people are not being held to account for “unprofessional” poor behaviours.

The report added the findings were not surprising due to the pressures of the pandemic experienced by staff.

It found: “There appears to be an increase in the proportion of concerns around interpersonal behaviours and communication issues as well as levels of frustration and tension amongst staff and managers.”

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Source: HSJ, 24 November 2021

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‘Huge emotional toll on managers’ from employment tribunal delays

Managers and staff are suffering a “huge emotional toll”—while trusts are facing extra costs—due to very long delays to hold employment tribunals.

A lack of judicial capacity following mass cancellations during covid means waiting times for a hearing are reaching as long as 18 months from initial claim, and more hearings are being cancelled at the last minute, meaning trusts are incurring significant financial costs, lawyers said.

Minutes from a Courts and Tribunals Judiciary meeting showed, as of this spring, some regions were listing three-five day employment tribunal hearings as far as two years away (early 2026), while others were being scheduled for the second half of 2025, despite recent signs of a falling caseload.

One senior employment law source, who did not want to be named, told HSJ both the staff making claims, and their organisations/managers, were being “hugely impacted” by the delays “because they are living in some of the worst moments of their lives”.

They said: “Equally, for those against whom claims are brought, some really serious allegations of discrimination, they’ve put a huge pressure on those people. They’re living with that hanging over them. That emotional toll is huge. We’ve had people who have retired and moved overseas. Who wants to come back from there for a tribunal claim relating to issues from six years ago? It has a really significant impact.”

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Source: HSJ, 29 July 2024

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‘Hospitals at home’ plan to save NHS

More than half a million patients a year will be treated in “hospitals at home” in an attempt to relieve pressure on A&E departments.

Under the plans, elderly and frail patients who fall will be treated by video link, with ministers saying that a fifth of emergency admissions could be avoided with the right care.

Health officials said the “virtual wards” would be backed up by £14 billion in extra spending on health and care services over the next two years, as the NHS tackles record backlogs, with seven million people on waiting lists.

Rishi Sunak said the Urgent & Emergency Care Recovery Plan showed that the NHS was one of his “top priorities”.

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Source: The Telegraph, 29 January 2023

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‘Hospices are in retreat’: funding crisis squeezing UK palliative care providers

At the end of 2023, St Catherine’s hospice near Crawley, West Sussex, moved to a new purpose-built, state-of-the art building. Twenty-four private rooms with en suite bathrooms and French doors leading to individual terraces were designed to make the final days of a patient’s life as peaceful as possible. Medical equipment was concealed, beloved pets were welcome to visit, and a drinks trolley came round each evening.

The hospice had cost almost £20m to build and equip, every penny raised by donations, legacies, charity events, trusts and foundations. The land was a gift from a local businessman.

Fifteen months later, half the rooms are mothballed and 40 jobs have been lost. Patients have to meet a higher threshold for admission, and a 24/7 helpline for those caring for dying people at home has been reduced to eight hours a day, Monday to Friday.

The cuts are the result of a funding crisis shared by most in the palliative care sector. “Hospices are in retreat,” said Giles Tomsett, the CEO of St Catherine’s for the past 11 years. This is happening, he pointed out, just as the baby boomer generation is about to need end-of-life care on a significant scale.

According to Hospice UK, a body that represents more than 200 hospices, many have had to make “tough decisions” about the services they provide. Last year, one in five hospices warned of service cuts, and 300 beds have been taken out of commission.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 March 2025

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‘Horrifying’ failure to provide safety warnings for high-risk medicine

Concerns have been raised that patients may not be receiving “vital” safety information after HSJ discovered a high-risk medication was frequently not being dispensed as originally packaged. 

In 2018, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency asked pharmacies to dispense valproate-containing medications in their original pack where possible, to ensure packages include safety warnings. 

It also asked manufacturers to produce smaller pack sizes and add pictorial warnings, while pharmacists were additionally asked to add stickered warnings to the outer box of any valproate-containing medication not dispensed in its original packaging.

Yet, data obtained via freedom of information requests to the NHS Business Services Authority revealed that while the proportion and number of valproate-containing items dispensed as split packs – as opposed to whole packs – had decreased over the last five years, split packs still accounted for more than half of items dispensed in 2022-23. 

Emma Murphy, of campaign group In-Fact, said the figures on split pack dispensing were “quite horrifying” and showed “the system is not working”.

She added: “Attitudes have got to change – prescribers, GPs etc need to be proactive and warn women of the risks because this isn’t just a side effect, this is harming real babies. As a mum of five affected children, the consequences of valproate in pregnancy on that baby is devastating.”

Alison Fuller, of Epilepsy Action, said the high proportion of split packs being dispensed made it “clear why the change in guidance introduced in October 2023 was necessary”, adding: “The manufacturer’s original full pack always contains all the relevant information, which is why it’s the best option for patient awareness.”

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Source: HSJ, 

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‘Horrendous’ patient death after staff mistake physical injuries for mental health condition

A patient died from a serious spinal injury after emergency staff incorrectly attributed his physical condition to his mental health issues, an inquest heard.

Robert Walaszkowski, who had been detained at a secure mental health unit run by North East London Foundation Trust in October 2019, suffered a serious injury after running into a door on the unit.

Staff from London Ambulance Service did not suspect a spinal injury and he was taken to the emergency department at Queen’s Hospital in Romford with a suspected head injury. An inquest heard he did not receive a spinal examination and imaging of the spine, despite this being required due to the nature of his injury and presentation.

He was discharged from A&E the following day, and was then placed on the floor of a private patient transport vehicle, to be transported back to the mental health unit, Goodmayes Hospital. He arrived at the hospital unresponsive. He never recovered consciousness and died of his injuries a month later.

An inquest jury has recorded a narrative conclusion and found that neglect contributed to Robert’s death.

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Source: HSJ, 24 September 2021

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‘Hips, knees and eyes’ funding focus ‘not fair’, says medical leader

Physical health and “hips, knees and eyes” still command the lion’s share of government money, despite persistent calls for fairer mental health funding, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ departing president has told HSJ.

Adrian James also said future leaders must tackle bed and workforce shortages, while upcoming inquiries into poor care must allow people to speak openly without fear. 

NHS England CEO Amanda Pritchard has called the minimum investment standard for mental health “non-negotiable”. However, in an interview with HSJ, Dr James said mental health services are often missing out while “big chunks” of government money are allocated to reduce waiting lists. 

He said: “The [covid] recovery plan that was negotiated with the government really was about your hips, knees and eyes, in spite of big voices – one of them mine – saying, ‘what about the mental health backlog’. At that point, we didn’t get any extra money.”

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Source: HSJ, 18 July 2023

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‘High use of agency staff’ contributed to care failings exposed by hidden cameras

High use of agency staff contributed to the care failings exposed at a mental health trust by undercover reporters, an internal inquiry has found.

Essex Partnership University Trust was at the centre of a Channel 4 documentary last year which raised concerns over care, including the use of restraints and patient observations.

The trust initially refused to release the final report after a freedom of information request by HSJ, but has now released a redacted version on appeal. 

The report identified a number of concerns in relation to patient and staff safety, saying factors that contributed to these concerns included high usage of temporary staff and high patient acuity on the two acute mental health wards recorded.

The internal inquiry looked into allegations of the inappropriate use of restraints raised in the documentary. This section, which contained redactions, found restraint was taught to be used as a last resort, but suggested high temporary staffing levels and a “lack of confident and adequately skilled staff” contributed to guidance not being followed.

Another concern was around staff sleeping on duty and the use of mobile phones during patient observations. The internal inquiry found there was an “absence of visible leadership and role modelling” to ensure this did not happen during clinical practice.

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Source: HSJ, 17 October 2023

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‘High risk’ patients waiting years for struggling service

Several reviews are under way of a hospital’s struggling ophthalmology service, after it reported backlogs of hundreds of patients at high risk of harm.

Concerns have repeatedly been raised at George Eliot Hospital Trust about clinical practice and safety for optometry and glaucoma patients, according to several board papers issued over recent months.

The ophthalmology service was taken back into the trust’s direct control five years ago, having previously been outsourced to private provider Newmedica from 2012.

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Source: HSJ, 17 December 2017

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‘Hierarchical cultures’ reported at trust after doctor jailed

A trust has been told to improve its culture of speaking up and sexual safety by a review of its handling of a doctor who was later convicted of downloading child abuse images.

The review, commissioned and published by Royal Devon University Hospital Foundation Trust, examined the trust’s handling of its former consultant anaesthetist Alexander Knight (Grice), who in March was convicted of five charges of downloading and viewing indecent images of children.

The external review, carried out by consultant forensic psychiatrist Helen Smith and published by RDUH in July, praised the trust for “contain[ing] the situation” when Dr Knight was arrested, and for working closely with the police and other agencies to enable the investigation and ultimately his conviction.

But it also found some staff had found it difficult to speak up about previous incidents involving the doctor, in which he had acted “inappropriately”.

It said the trust should address “hierarchical” cultures in some teams which prevent staff from being able to speak up about sexual safety. The trust said it has begun work to address this.

The review said: “Many people who took part in this review describe feeling unable to speak up, or if they did speak up, an experience of not being heard, their concerns not being valued, or being dismissed, not understood.”

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Source: HSJ, 7 August 2024

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‘Heroic leadership’ has prevented action on staff violence, says CEO

A “heroic” model of leadership has meant the NHS hasn’t made enough progress in tackling violence and aggression against staff and promoting sexual safety, a trust chief has said.

Sam Higginson, chief executive of Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust, said NHS leaders “probably haven’t done as much as we could have done in the past” to reduce violence and aggression and promote sexual safety.

In an interview with HSJ, Mr Higginson said these safety issues have been raised consistently in the RDUH’s staff surveys, and leaders need to talk about them “a lot more.”

In the latest NHS staff survey, the number of staff reporting physical violence from patients or members of the public was at 13.5 per cent nationally, and 12 per cent at RDUH. This proportion has been falling slightly in recent years but widespread concerns about staff safety remain.

A union has warned recently that NHS England is cutting several national initiatives aimed at reducing violence against staff.

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2024

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‘Hepatitis in children: Any delays in diagnosis could lead to negligence claims, say lawyers

Parents whose children have mysteriously fallen ill with hepatitis and received a delayed diagnosis could be entitled to negligence claims, lawyers believe.

Officials are no closer to explaining a recent and unusual outbreak in cases of liver inflammation recorded among young children across the UK.

To date, a total of 163 children have been diagnosed. Eleven of these have received liver transplants, while 13 are currently in hospital. Globally in recent months, 300 children have been struck down by the illness, which has no clear cause.

Because the UK cases have been identified retrospectively, there is potential that doctors and medics may have “missed signs” which would have led to earlier hepatitis diagnoses and treatment, lawyers say.

“There are a significant number of these diagnoses which are actually retrospective,” said Jonathan Peacock, a partner at VWV specialising in clinical negligence.

“The obvious issue there from a negligence point of view is if you have missed signs, which ought to have led you to a diagnosis of hepatitis earlier, as a result of which it’s gone untreated and the outcome is worse, then potentially you’re negligent.

“There’s two stages: was the care diagnosis, treatment, intervention, was that of a reasonable standard? If the answer is no – there was clearly a negligent delay, or a breach of duty of care, then the second question that then arises is has the individual been harmed by that delay?”

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Source: The Independent, 10 May 2022

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‘Helpless’ CEO’s report expresses ‘extreme concern’ over doctors strikes

Acute trust leaders have expressed ‘extreme concern’ over their ability to maintain safe services in the upcoming junior doctor and consultant strikes.

Leaders at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust are “extremely concerned about the impact on patients… as well as on the health and wellbeing of staff”, according to its latest CEO report to the board,

Junior doctors are striking between 7am on Thursday 13 July and 7am on Tuesday 18 July. The report warned this would result in “complete withdrawal of labour, with no exemptions to cover emergency and critical services”.

The report said: “Junior doctors may only be recalled to work in the event of a mass casualty incident… Although other staff can cover for junior doctors they are becoming exhausted and increasingly reluctant to do so. 

“We are therefore extremely concerned about our ability to maintain safe services.”

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Source: HSJ, 12 July 2023

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‘Heavy-handed, expensive’ inspections wrong way to regulate hospitals, says ex-CQC chair

‘Very heavy-handed, laborious and expensive’ inspections ‘have not been the right way’ of regulating hospitals, according to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) former chair.

Speaking at a Royal Society of Medicine event on Wednesday, Lord David Prior, who is now the chair of NHS England, said “very few” physicians will have improved their work after reading a report from the regulator.

He added that there is a role for the CQC to move in when “things are going wrong” although he is “sceptical” the regulator can actually drive improvement in hospitals.

Lord Prior said: “I am highly sceptical as to whether or not CQC or any regulator can really drive improvement and drive the top hospitals to make them better.

“And certainly I think there’ll be very few physicians who will say that their clinical work has improved as a result of reading a CQC report.

“I think the sadness I have about CQC is that we have not been able, or it has not been able, to develop a series of predictive metrics that could replace these very heavy handed, very laborious and very expensive visits that we used to do.”

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Source: HSJ, 9 September 2021

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‘Health MOTs’ planned for people aged 65 and over arriving at A&E in England

People aged 65 and over arriving at A&E in England who appear frail will soon receive a “health MOT at the front door”, the head of the NHS will pledge.

A&E units must start giving everyone that age a battery of tests to see if they are frail or have any other underlying condition and then arrange whatever care they may need.

NHS England hopes the initiative will reduce the number of older people being admitted to hospital, and cut overcrowding, “trolley waits” and “corridor care”.

Amanda Pritchard, the organisation’s chief executive, will tell an audience of health service heads on Wednesday they must ensure by next April that all A&E units start offering detailed assessments of older people’s health. However, the service will only operate for 10 hours a day.

“Health MOTs at the front door of A&Es for older people could be a lifeline for many. From blood pressure tests to a review of their falls history, these checks mean patients can be assessed quickly and directed to the right support for their needs,” Pritchard will say.

“While some people do need to be admitted, it isn’t always the most suitable place for older patients’ needs, and they can also rapidly lose mobility while in hospital.”

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Source: The Guardian, 12 June 2024

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‘He went to hospital as a physically healthy young man but never came home. Now we want answers’

Adrian Francis walked into hospital in June 2023 as a physically healthy young man. Days later, having been left in an “immobile state”, he was dead.

The 33-year-old, who once represented Britain in sprinting, had been reduced to a catatonic state after health workers at Hallam Street Hospital in West Bromwich apparently pinned him down and forcibly gave him antipsychotic medication.

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Source: Independent

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‘He tried so hard to get help’: the tragic results of NHS right-to-choose for ADHD patients

When Leigh White remembers her brother Ryan, she thinks of a boy of extraordinary ability who “won five scholarships at 11” including a coveted place at Bancroft’s, a private school in London. He was, she said, “super bright, witty, personable, generous and kind”.

Ryan killed himself on 12 May 2024. A report written after his death acknowledged significant shortcomings in the support he received while seeking help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Ryan had followed the “right to choose” pathway, whereby patients can pick a private provider anywhere in the country for assessment, diagnosis and initial treatment. They then ask their GP to enter a shared-care agreement for prescriptions and monitoring. However, Ryan struggled to get the two services to link up.

The problem lies in the fact that shared care is voluntary and not all GPs agree to it. Some patients told the Guardian their doctor had rejected their private diagnosis on the grounds that it did not meet their standards. This was even after the NHS had paid for it – and despite there being no official rules for private providers to follow. Some, like Ryan, end up stuck in administrative limbo.

Ryan is one of many people who have been failed by the right to choose system. Psychologists and psychiatrists who spoke to the Guardian shared their concerns that allowing NHS patients to obtain ADHD assessments at private providers was “premature” and had led to a “wild west”.

Right to choose was introduced for mental healthcare and neurodevelopmental care in 2018, in part to ease pressure on waiting lists that were up to a decade long.

But Marios Adamou, a consultant psychiatrist and founder of the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN), said this had come too soon, because “there was no standard in what good assessment looks like and there’s still no standard for what a qualified assessor would look like”.

Right to choose was “poorly regulated, poorly managed and some people are making lots of money out of it”, Adamou said, adding: “If you don’t have regulation for that you are inviting a wild west.”

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Source: The Guardian, 13 January 2026

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‘He tarnished my reputation’: whistleblower demands action against CQC accuser

A former adviser for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has called on the regulator to explain what action it has taken against the officials responsible for wrongly dismissing him after he raised whistleblowing concerns.

Shyam Kumar, a surgeon who was part of inspection teams in the North West, told HSJ that he had to live with question marks over his reputation for several years. He is furious that a senior CQC official sought to question his honesty and integrity in evidence submitted to the employment tribunal examing his dismisal.

The tribunal heard Mr Kumar had raised a number of whistleblowing disclosures to the CQC, including concerns about the lack of appropriate expertise on inspection teams.

After a wide-ranging review around its handling of whistleblowing concerns, CQC chief executive Ian Trenholm last week apologised to Mr Kumar for “unacceptably poor treatment” by his organisation, and thanked him for contributing to the review.

However, Mr Kumar told HSJ: “I’m glad the CQC has looked at this and finally acknowledged what they did to me was wrong. But I want to know what has happened to the individuals that were responsible.”

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Source: HSJ, 6 April 2023

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‘He could have died’: family calls for better jaundice testing of black and Asian babies

Soon after her son Jaxson was born, Lauren Clarke spotted that his eyes were yellow and bloodshot. “We kept asking if he had jaundice, but each time we were told to keep feeding him and just put Jaxson in front of a window,” she says.

It was only when Clarke was readmitted six days later with an infection that Jaxson’s jaundice was detected by a midwife. By this time, his levels were becoming dangerously high.

“We spent a further five days in hospital for Jaxson to be treated with light therapy and antibiotics. If I hadn’t had to go back to hospital, he could have died or had serious long-term health conditions,” she says.

This week, the NHS race and health observatory will announce new funding for research into the efficacy of jaundice screening in black, Asian and minority ethnic newborns on the back of a recent report showing that tests to assess newborn babies’ health are not effective for non-white children.

The research cannot come too soon. Jaxson’s aunt, Gemma Poole, a midwife from Nottingham, created her company, the Essential Baby Company, to develop resources and training about the specific needs of women and babies with black and brown skins, after Jaxson’s jaundice was initially missed by clinicians.

Poole believes the trauma her nephew, brother and sister-in-law had to go through could have been avoided if health professionals had known better ways to spot jaundice in non-white babies.

“The colour of gums, the soles of the feet and hands, the whites of eyes, how many wet and dirty nappies and if the baby is waking for feeds and alert could be more reliable indicators if a black or brown baby has jaundice,” she says.

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Source: The Guardian, 16 July 2023

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‘Growing cultural tension’ could turn hospital’s staff against leaders

A hospital has uncovered concerns about “toxic behaviours” and racism, and been warned that “growing cultural tension” could turn “staff against each other or against leadership”.

The review was ordered by Medway Foundation Trust after it identified concerns about culture and potential racism and bias. Staff at Medway Maritime Hospital also reported increasing violence and aggression from patients and relatives.

The resulting report – by a company called Absolute Diversity – details concerns around bullying, toxic behaviour and discrimination. It also found some signs of hope, however, with a sense of pride among staff and a commitment to patient care.

It called on the trust to make it safe to speak up, review staff experience of employee relations processes, and increase leadership accountability and clarity with “clear expectations for leadership behaviours”.

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Source: HSJ, 5 September 2025

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‘Gross’ care delays could become ‘new normal’, says CQC report

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has urged system leaders to move away from “quick fixes” to the “enormous gap in resources and capacity” in urgent and emergency care.

A report by the CQC and a large group of emergency clinicians and other health and care leaders calls for a ”move away from reactive ‘quick fixes’ such as tents in the car park or corridor care to proactive long-term solutions and to address the enormous gap in resources and capacity”.

The use of tents and treating more patients in corridors have been increasingly adopted by hospitals in recent months, sometimes encouraged by NHS England, particularly when they are under pressure to reduce handover delays from ambulances.

The report, 'People First: a response from health and care leaders to the urgent and emergency care system crisis', suggests:

  • expanding use of urgent community response teams to attend minor injuries 999/111 calls,
  • giving acute and social care providers direct access to GP and community service booking systems, and
  • providing “rapid access” to support packages to help people avoid hospital admission.

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Source: HSJ, 22 September 2022

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‘Gross failures’ in London hospital’s care may have led to disabled woman’s death

A coroner who ruled that “gross failure” in the hospital care of a disabled woman “possibly contributed to her death” has called for improvements to protect patients.

Graeme Irvine, the senior coroner for east London, said the inquest into the death of Chloe Every had revealed matters “giving rise to concern” while she was in the care of Barking, Havering and Redbridge university hospitals NHS trust.

He said there was a “risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken”.

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Source: Guardian, 27 December 2024

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‘Great’ trust seen as ‘insular and dismissive of integration’

A “great” ambulance trust’s “uncompromising” focus on outcomes and its own performance has been a barrier to system working and affected relationships with partners, an external review has advised it.

The report from the Good Governance Institute on West Midlands Ambulance Service University Foundation Trust found partners felt it was “increasingly out of sync with new ways of working under integrated care” and even “somewhat dismissive of the integrated care agenda”.

It praised the trust overall, saying: “WMAS is seen by all those we spoke to as being a great organisation: well run, with strong leadership and a clear focus on operational delivery.

But it said communications, especially through the press, were seen as “bullish and at times damaging to the reputation of partners and harmful to patients”. Its reputation and performance can create a culture of engagement with external partners that “seems defensive at best and arrogant/dismissive at worst”, with the trust being “prickly towards external challenge”, the consultants’ report added.

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Source: HSJ, 27 July

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‘GP said I might be blocked up. At hospital they told me I was heading towards sepsis’

Monica Evans's initial misdiagnosis could have proved life-threatening – and she is just one of many to have suffered during pandemic.

Since The Telegraph began reporting on the struggles of patients around the country to access GP services during the pandemic, they have been inundated with messages and letters.

There have been multiple stories of serious misdiagnoses made after telephone consultations with doctors that took place in lieu of face-to-face assessments; of interminable waits to get through to practices on jammed phone lines; and of lengthy delays while worried patients have waited for referrals to be made.

Those who shared their experiences have also shared their fury, frustration, fear and dismay. Some who could afford to have felt they had no option but to turn to private healthcare, unable to obtain the help they needed from an NHS struggling with Covid and all its knock-on effects. Others have been left with nowhere to turn. 

GPs have spoken, too, about their dissatisfaction with a system that has discouraged face-to-face consultations. 

Amid an outpouring of anger from both patients and doctors, NHS England yesterday rowed back on plans for "total triage" of patients to keep them out of surgeries whenever possible. But for many the damage has already been done.

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Source: The Telegraph, 13 May 2021

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