Key Takeaways
- A leaked report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) reveals a culture of systemic bullying and harassment among staff at Blackpool Victoria hospital in England.
- The hospital’s safety record has been affected, with excessive workloads and inadequate supervision contributing to patient risk.
- Staff have reported feeling fatigued, stressed, and fearful of speaking up about problems due to a "keeping your head down culture".
- The hospital has been plagued by scandals, including convictions of staff for stealing drugs, sedating patients, and sexual assault.
- The trust has been referred to the NHS’s recovery support programme and has made efforts to address the issues, but concerns remain about the effectiveness of these efforts.
Introduction to the Scandal
A culture of systemic bullying and harassment has been allowed to flourish among staff at Blackpool Victoria hospital, a damning leaked report reveals. The safety of patients has been affected as a result of the failings, with excessive workloads and inadequate supervision contributing to patient risk. The report, by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), was provided to leaders at the Blackpool teaching hospitals NHS trust in January, but its findings were not shared widely with staff until 10 months later, prompting concerns that employees’ ability to take urgent action on its 19 recommendations was compromised.
Staff Experiences and Concerns
Staff who spoke to the RCP inquiry team described a "keeping your head down culture" where their concerns were inadequately addressed. Consultants said that there was "systemic bullying, harassment, and racial discrimination among staff". Resident doctors reported feeling overwhelmed by their workloads, with inadequate supervision and poor workload management contributing to stress and fatigue. These members of staff felt that their concerns were not adequately addressed by senior leadership, and some viewed Blackpool as "a stepping stone rather than as a long-term career destination".
History of Scandals
The hospital has been plagued by scandals, including convictions of staff for stealing drugs, sedating patients, and sexual assault. Two nurses were jailed for stealing drugs and unlawfully sedating patients to make their shifts easier, while the trust’s leading heart surgeon was imprisoned for sexually assaulting five colleagues. In October, a coroner ruled that an elderly female patient had been sexually assaulted and unlawfully killed in her hospital bed, with a murder investigation concluding without identifying a culprit.
Response from the Trust and NHS
The trust has acknowledged the delays in circulating the report and has made efforts to address the issues, including strengthening education and training for junior doctors, improving induction and support for overseas-trained doctors, and creating better ways for doctors to raise issues and see actions taken. The trust has also recruited 116 doctors, including 32 new consultants, and has made sustained improvements in key areas of patient safety. The NHS has stepped down its significant concerns about the learning environment for doctors in training, and the health secretary, Wes Streeting, has described the hospital’s recent failings as "abhorrent".
Calls for External Investigation
The British Medical Association (BMA) has called for an external investigation into the RCP’s findings, citing concerns that the trust is not taking appropriate steps to address the issues. The BMA’s north-west regional resident doctors committee chair, Dr Madjda Bougherira, said that concerns around systemic bullying, harassment, and racial discrimination must be taken seriously, or else a toxic culture of fear will continue to prevail, impacting the wellbeing of doctors and the delivery of safe patient care.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The scandal at Blackpool Victoria hospital highlights the need for urgent action to address the systemic issues that have led to a culture of bullying and harassment among staff. The trust and NHS must work together to ensure that the recommendations of the RCP report are implemented, and that staff feel supported and empowered to speak up about concerns. The health secretary’s commitment to tackling the stark health inequalities that have been holding back Blackpool’s communities is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to restore trust in the hospital and ensure that patients receive safe and high-quality care.
