REPEATED cases of bullying and a toxic work culture have been identified at one of the England’s largest NHS trusts, revealed by the new Bewick Review.
The report was commissioned after a BBC Newsnight investigation heard from staff at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) that a culture of fear had put patients at risk.
It mentions anger over top staff members missing Dr Vaishnavi Kumar’s burial after the young doctor committed suicide in June 2022.
Dr Kumar, 35, a junior doctor at the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital, left a suicide note blaming her death entirely on the place where she worked.
Furthermore, a senior employee at the QE Hospital reportedly emailed Dr. Kumar, 26 days after her passing to ask about her position and the pay she received while she was alive.
Dr Ravi Kumar, her father, said he strongly believed the QE had “destroyed” his daughter.
He also said: “[The trust] should come out openly and accept this has happened, they should find out who the people are who are responsible for this and take appropriate action.
“Otherwise, people will not have confidence in any of these inquiry panels and committees if there is no visible action.”
While steps have been taken to reach out to her family and “develop learning going forward”, the report adds: “The response to an event like this can only partly be met by updated guidelines and policies…but more significantly [the trust] needs a fundamental shift in the way an organisation demonstrably cares about its staff as people.”
Bewick’s research cites three key issues: clinical safety concerns, staffing challenges at Good Hope Hospital, management and leadership cultural issues at the trust, and a company that is reluctant to accept criticism.
West Midlands Trust’s CEO Jonathan Brotherton embraced the report and accepted the four recommendations to enhance clinical safety, governance, staff welfare, and culture as well as additional independent oversight. He also expresses satisfaction with the report’s conclusion that the trust is a secure location for patients to receive care.
The trust is responsible for Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope, and Solihull hospitals.
Author of the report Prof Mick Bewick says a culture of fear is still prevalent at one of England’s biggest hospital trusts.
Prof Bewick said that it was a, “fairly sorry tale. It is not easy to say these things when you are involved in the health service for 43 years, but I’ve heard some disturbing stories”.
Although the report acknowledges that actions have been made, it contends that a fundamental change in the trust’s approach to treating its employees as unique individuals is required.
Responding to the first phase of the Bewick report into workplace culture at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Dr. Latifa Patel, BMA workforce lead, said: “The toxic culture at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) has long been of great concern to Birmingham doctors and to the wider medical community. It is good to see this report take the threat to staff well-being seriously and in particular the damage that can be done to recruitment and retention by such mismanagement, especially during an NHS staffing crisis where staff is working to their limits.”
Summarising the findings, Prof Bewick, a former NHS England deputy medical director, said: “Our overall view is that the trust is a safe place to receive care.
“But any continuance of a culture that is corrosively affecting morale and in particular threatens long-term staff recruitment and retention will put at risk the care of patients across the organisation – particularly in the current nationwide NHS staffing crisis.
“Because these concerns cover such a wide range of issues, from management organisation through to leadership and confidence, we believe there is much more work to be done in the next phases of review to assist the trust on its journey to recovery.”
The Bewick Review is one of three significant reviews into the trust that were ordered because of several Newsnight and BBC West Midlands programmes where current and former employees voiced their concerns.
The first phase of the quick review, which was overseen by the independent consultants IQ4U and Prof. Mike Bewick, was released yesterday (28).
By June 2023, the second and third reviews, which address the trust’s governance and culture, are expected to be released.
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