Herefordshire and Worcestershire NHS Trust recognizes the need to “reset” the culture

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) has acknowledged the need for a culture reset, after some staff said they faced discrimination over their race and appearance.

In January, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust was downgraded from 'good' to 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Senior managers have now admitted the fund faced problems with racism and discrimination, and said the report presented “uncomfortable facts”.

Following safety concerns over adult acute wards at Hill Crest Ward, in Redditch, the trust also said it was looking to move the unit to Worcester.

At the time of the inspection, the CQC said it was motivated by concerns about the sexual safety of patients on the Hillcrest unit.

However, the report published in January also highlighted interviews with staff, which revealed multiple examples where people felt they had been subjected to overt discrimination.

Inspectors said senior leaders at the fund did not recognize early warning signs of a closed working culture.

At a meeting of Worcestershire Public Health Scrutiny Committee on Friday, Conservative councilor Emma Marshall asked senior managers whether the institution had a problem with racism and discrimination.

“Like a lot of organizations, yes we do. We need to improve dramatically,” said Executive Vice President Robert Mackey.

“And so we are, sometimes unconsciously, but we are discriminating, and we are not as welcoming and inclusive as we should be.”

Mr McKee said that from April, more than 600 staff in leadership roles at the trust would begin a cultural awareness training programme. He also said the trust had taken a closer look at its equality, diversity and inclusion policies.

“The key part that goes along with that is a culture reset,” he said.

Labor county councilor Len Denham said the CQC report raised deep concerns about how staff and patients were treated.

She wondered how this issue was being addressed at a “grassroots” level and whether ethnic minority staff felt supported.

The CQC inspected Hill Crest on 14 February 2023 and noted concerns about poor patient experience, high use of temporary staff, and a lack of proactivity in dealing with sexual safety incidents.

At an audit meeting on Friday, Matthew Hall, chief operating officer at the Health and Care Trust, said patient feedback had improved.

But he admitted that more than half of the unit's core staff positions were vacant, as its operation relied on agency staff.

The trust said the poor design of the Hillcrest wing meant it was looking to move the unit to a vacant wing on the Worcestershire Royal Infirmary site.

She added that discussions with staff are continuing, and a final decision is scheduled to be made in May.