‘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