Exodus of bosses at scandal-hit 999 trust

Trust hires conflict expert to resolve ‘culture of fear’ as performance of callout crews drops to new low

Almost every executive has quit an ambulance trust following a string of scandals. South East Coast Ambulance Service trust, which has been left with just one permanent director, has told staff it will “finally properly address the bullying and harassment issue” after being dogged by allegations of a “culture of fear”. It has appointed an external expert in workplace conflict and promises to make “culture change” a priority.

ALMOST every executive has quit from a scandal-hit ambulance trust amid leadership chaos and the launch of an investigation into bullying claims.

South East Coast Ambulance Service trust has told staff it will “finally properly address the bullying and harassment issue” after being dogged by allegations of a “culture of fear”.

It has appointed an external expert in workplace conflict and promises to make “culture change” a priority.

The pledge comes after a string of scandals at the trust.

The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed leaked reports that said desperate 999 call handlers attempted suicide amid an “endemic culture of bullying”.

Documents show complaints of bullying by Paul Sutton, then head of the trust, and by Geraint Davies, now acting chief executive, were upheld following an investigation by conflict resolution professionals. The disclosures come as the trust struggles with a deterioration in 999 performance.

Figures for the last week of January show just 59 per cent of the most pressing emergencies received a response in eight minutes, dropping to 45 per cent among other life-threatening calls.

The latest staff bulletin tells employees: “I am pleased to let you know that we are about to kick off the first stage of a project to finally properly address the bullying and harassment issue within SECAmb.”

While acknowledging that the most recent Care Quality Commission inspection described “a culture of bullying and harassment” – with more than 30 per cent of staff saying they were victims of it – it does not refer to the latest allegations.

The trust said Prof Duncan Lewis, from the University of Plymouth, author of the largest ever study into workplace ill-treatment, has been commissioned to undertake a “diagnostic review” and report on bullying and harassment.

In recent months the trust has seen the resignation of a string of executives, with just one permanent director remaining on its staff.

Mr Sutton resigned last year, as did chairman Tony Thorne, after the Telegraph exposed their part in a rogue operation that deliberately delayed responses to 20,000 calls. Chief operating officer James Kennedy also quit soon after an acting chairman took over.

For almost a year, the trust has had an acting chief executive and chairman. Now, almost every other executive director on the board has left their post, amid mounting managerial chaos at the organisation, which was placed in “special measures” in September.

Prof Andy Newton, the director of clinical operations, stood down from his role last month, as did interim medical director Dr Rory McCrea and nonexecutive director Katrina Herren.

Yesterday all staff were emailed by Mr Davies, the acting chief executive, who said that the disclosures in the Telegraph covered “a range of historic allegations, which have been investigated and dealt with already”.

The email appears to discourage staff from raising concerns with the press.

“I am also saddened that today’s article has arisen after a large amount of internal information has once again been leaked to a journalist from within the trust,” Mr Davies wrote.

A trust spokesman said: “The trust has been through an extremely challenging period. A project to tackle bullying and harassment is now being rolled out. It has been agreed as part of the trust’s broader recovery with NHS Improvement and has been extremely well received by staff so far.

“Regarding the allegations of bullying … as we have stated previously, this was fully investigated at the time. As a result, a number of disciplinary hearings were held and action taken where necessary.”