Safety fears remain at ‘toxic’ NHS trust

Inspectors have warned that University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Foundation Trust must step up staff safety training in its emergency departments.

Serious issues surrounding A&E safeguarding were uncovered and not all staff had undertaken mandatory training, the health watchdog said.

The visits during April, May and June last year, came after the trust had been heavily criticised over cases of a toxic environment and bullying that were revealed in a report published in March 2023.

In the latest inspections, the watchdog looked at emergency and urgent care at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QE) and Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.

Richard Burden, chair of Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull, said it was worrying patients were not always protected from harm, as well as there being low staff numbers and inadequate safeguarding procedures.

He said “These problems have been compounded by the fact that – although many patient safety incidents are escalated and investigated – feedback and lessons learned are not always shared with the staff effectively, meaning opportunities for improvement are lost.”

Cancer and neurosurgery services were also assessed at the QE, along with medical services at Good Hope Hospital and Heartlands – all of these services had been rated as either inadequate or requiring improvement.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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