‘Insufficient curiosity’ of trust’s leaders enabled abuse

A major review into a mental health unit abuse scandal has found a catalogue of failings, including repeated missed opportunities to act on concerns, and a board “disconnected” from the realities faced by patients and staff.

The independent review into failings at Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust was published today, commissioned after BBC Panorama revealed a “toxic culture of humiliation, verbal abuse and bullying” at Edenfield Centre in Prestwich in September 2022.

The trust’s then chair, Rupert Nichols, resigned in November 2022, and CEO Neil Thwaite stepped down in spring last year.

Review chair Professor Oliver Shanley, a former mental health trust CEO and chief nurse, describes in his report how the trust’s culture and leaders’ “insufficient curiosity” contributed to the “invisibility” of the deterioration in care quality. He says its board was focused on “expansion, reputation and meeting operational targets”.

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Read the report of the Independent Review into Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Source: HSJ, 31 January 2024