A watchdog has gone on to say that the leadership at NHS hospitals in Leeds needs improvement, after the inspectors went on to find that the complaints of racism, workplace bullying, and harassment were not being dealt with the way they should be.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also found that the behavior of the managers at NHS hospitals in Leeds did affect the staff wellbeing as well as the quality of patient care.
It is well to be noted that the investigation took place in June 2025, after concerns had been raised about the maternity and neonatal services of the trust, and thereafter a warning notice was also issued.
The trust has gone ahead and apologized to the colleagues who were feeling left out and acknowledged that it had indeed more work on hand to make sure that racism, discrimination, and bullying had no place in its hospitals.
The spokesperson also added that they must surely focus on listening to their patients, communities, and of course colleagues too and be more curious and inquisitive about what they are being told.
Apparently, the trust happens to include St. James’s University Hospital, Seacroft Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds Children’s Hospital, Wharfedale Hospital, and also Leeds Dental Institute.
Interestingly, the inspection focused on how well-led the overall organization was.
The CQC director of operations in the north, Rob Assall, said that during their inspection they went on to find that the leaders did not always listen to the concerns, and there were some staff who had negative experiences when they went ahead and voiced issues.
They did receive many in-depth accounts from certain staff of bullying as well as harassment in the workplace that provided evidence of behaviors that typically did not align with the values of the trust.
The report also went on to find that the board did fail to work in a cohesive way and that the openness as well as the culture at the board level were kind of mixed.
But the CQC did praise the strong relationships of the trust along with local and national partnerships and also the diverse skills and experience of the leaders.
The organization’s sustainability happens to aim to work with the local councils so as to improve the discharge of the patients, and the home care was also commended.
Mr. Assall remarked that the leaders were very much aware that they needed to improve the board’s effectiveness and have taken necessary steps to do this.
They have told the leaders the areas where the improvements are required to ensure that the trust is led pretty successfully, and they shall continue to monitor them, by way of future inspections, so as to ensure that the necessary improvements are done.
The interim chief executive of the trust, Brendan Brown, said that the CQC received reports of colleagues getting subjected to racist as well as bullying behaviors, and a number of staff members said that their concerns were not at all being heard and that they experienced a sort of detriment after raising the issues.
Brown said that he would want to sincerely apologize to those colleagues.
He further said that they also needed to improve on how they act on what they get to hear. These kinds of changes need to happen fast, as this is what the people they care for and also work alongside anticipate and deserve.