Trust leadership rated ‘inadequate’ as CQC accuses staff of ‘ignoring’ problems

An acute trust’s leadership has been downgraded to ‘inadequate’ after some staff ignored concerns raised directly by CQC inspectors, while others said bullying was ‘rife’.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found multiple reports of staff raising concerns at York and Scarborough Foundation Trust, but that staff felt they were “ignored”, dismissed or “swept under the carpet”.

The trust’s leadership has been rated as “inadequate”, down from “requires improvement”, although its overall rating remains “requires improvement”.

The CQC said “poor leadership was having an impact across all of the services” and there were occasions “where leaders displayed defensiveness or appeared to tolerate poor behaviours from staff.”

The trust said it had been under “sustained pressure” but had already begun to make improvements, including a new information system in maternity services and a review of nursing establishment numbers.

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Source: HSJ, 30 June 2023