‘Robustly manage’ staff who ‘lack compassion and openness’, NHSE tells trusts

Trust chief executives have been told to “robustly manage” staff who repeatedly “demonstrate a lack of compassion or openness” over failings in maternity care.

It comes after health and social care secretary Wes Streeting announced a rapid investigation into failings at 10 trusts.

NHSE CEO Sir Jim Mackey and chief nursing officer Duncan Burton have written to trust leaders, saying: “We can’t accept the status quo.” The letter warns of “challenging conversations” to come with leaders in some organisations.

It does not provide examples of what “robust” management would involve. It says every trust with responsibilities for maternity and neonatal care needs to:

• Be rigorous in tackling poor behaviour and culture by addressing examples of this without delay;
• Listen directly to families who have experienced harm when concerns are raised or identified while also creating the conditions for staff to speak up;
• Retain a “laser focus” on tackling inequalities, discrimination and racism within services. It promises a “new anti-discrimination programme” from August to support leadership teams to improve culture and practice. Trusts should also accelerate plan to provide enhanced continuity of care for those in the most deprived neighbourhoods; and
• Review its approach to reviewing data on maternity and neonatal services, monitoring outcomes and experience.

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Source: HSJ, 24 June 2025