MP wants investigation into ‘culture of toxicity’
Whistleblowers’ claims prompt concerns about city hospitals
THERE must be an urgent independent investigation into the “culture of toxicity” at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust (UHB) following explosive claims from whistleblowers that patients are being put “at risk” and staff being “punished” for raising safety concerns.
That was the demand from a city MP and the patient group which holds trust bosses to account, amid growing alarm around the running of the trust which operates four Birmingham hospitals.
Insiders alleged that a dangerous shortage of nurses and a lack of communication led to some haematology patients dying without receiving treatment, while the trust was compared to the mafia.
A dozen “never events” – serious safety incidents which shouldn’t ever happen – were recorded between April 2020 and March 2021, the highest figure during that period in the country. A clinician claimed anyone who raised safety concerns would be punished and intimidated.
UHB runs Queen Elizabeth (QE), Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals. It’s one of the biggest NHS trusts in the country and serves more than two million people.
Bosses insisted they took patient safety “very seriously” and that it had a high reporting culture of incidents.
But the allegations raised have sent shockwaves through the city.
Preet Gill, the Labour MP who has the QE in her Birmingham Edgbaston constituency, said: “I am deeply concerned about the allegations being made by staff at the hospital and have raised this with Dr David Rosser, the current chief executive of UHB.
“However, given the length of time this has been occurring and the gravity of the allegations, I have called for an investigation to be made into the culture of toxicity at UHB.”
Richard Burden, chair of Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull, which works on behalf of patients and holds trust bosses to account, said the allegations were “extremely worrying” and needed investigating “thoroughly and urgently”.
He added: “As concerns about the organisational culture at UHB were central to the BBC report, any investigation must be both transparent and independent if it is to command the confidence
of patients and staff. Although we acknowledge the significant work taking place across the whole Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System to reduce the Covid backlog, there must be a laser-like focus on addressing the waiting times for cancer treatment and other areas of poor performance, which we highlighted in the BBC report.
“These are issues Healthwatch has consistently raised with UHB in the past and will do so again immediately with the new interim chair.
Mr Burden added: “While the feedback we have received from patients underlines the importance of addressing
problems at UHB, they regularly
also tell us how grateful they are for the dedication and professionalism of frontline staff who deliver exceptional care, often under intense pressure. These staff deserve our thanks and support.”
Consultant Emmanouil Nikolousis carried out a review into 20 deaths in the haematology department of QE Hospital and he believes their lives “could have been saved”.
He added: “They require immediate management and they require ownership of the patient. And quite a lot of times they require co-ordination of the teams, and that certainly hasn’t happened.”
A UHB spokesperson said: “We take patient safety very seriously and have a high reporting culture of incidents to ensure appropriate accountability and vitally, learning. All patient safety concerns and incidents are rigorously investigated to prevent harm to our patients, and this may be difficult for some colleagues.
“There are well established routes and support in place for individuals to raise any concerns they may have.”
I am deeply concerned about the allegations being made by staff and have raised this with the chief executive of UHB
MP Preet Gill