Daily Insight: The checks are in the post

One of the consequences of a trust having a key service with severe problems is that management time gets focused on improvements in that area – with a risk that other issues don’t get addressed or identified.

That may not be the case at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust but Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board has recently highlighted concerns across a range of areas. In five letters and emails across six weeks, the ICB has expressed worries over:

• how the trust is learning from serious incidents;
• adult safeguarding,
• care of deteriorating patients,
• and how it handled the tranquillisation of a teenager in one of its accident and emergency departments – among other issues.

To be fair, the trust says that it was aware of these and was tackling them. However, it admits that the ICB and NHS England felt it had not done enough at sufficient pace to address the risks involved. Maternity inevitably involves a lot of management time at the trust – and takes up a high proportion of its board papers. But even there, the ICB has concerns about its improvement plan.

The results of a Care Quality Commission inspection are due out imminently: it may not be a happy read for the trust.

Top team under fire

An acute trust is facing accusations about its leadership culture, with regulators looking into a series of claims made by whistleblowers.

HSJ understands multiple current and former staff members at Bolton FT, including people in senior positions, have been in contact with NHSE and the CQC in recent months.

The claims include bullying and intimidation of people who raise freedom to speak up concerns, and accusations that a “cult of the individual” is developing in the executive team.

No findings have been made yet. NHSE and the CQC said they are taking the issues seriously and considering next steps.

The trust says “any concerns, comments and feedback from staff are considered carefully, understood, and addressed in line with our core values (vision, openness, integrity, compassion and excellence)”.