Staff at mental hospitals report 'blame culture' of reprisals and harassment

HEALTH CHIEF VOWS IMPROVEMENTS AS FAILINGS ARE HIGHLIGHTED

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY

STAFF at Nottinghamshire's mental health hospitals have said they face reprisals, racism and harassment as part of the "blame culture" at the NHS trust that operates them.

Workers at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), which runs mental healthcare in the region, have said they face reprisals often from senior staff - if they raise concerns.

A report by watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said staff told inspectors they work in environments where a "tribal" blame culture exists, and where racism and harassment take place.

The CQC has rated the leadership at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as "requires improvement".

Ceri Morris-Williams, CQC deputy director of mental health in the Midlands, said: "During our inspection, we found the trust hadn't made specific improvements we had told it to make at a previous inspection.

"While there were some positive areas where the trust was progressing, we found senior leaders needed to prioritise essential improvements and embed a positive culture and strategies across the organisation."

Responses to the CQC said staff also felt unsupported and dismissed by managers, with less than 50 per cent of employees willing to recommend the trust as an organisation to work for.