Hospital staff burnt out and undervalued – report

Staff at a Surrey hospital have highlighted "widespread burnout and feeling undervalued", according to a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

East Surrey Hospital in Redhill provides services for about 744,000 people across Surrey, West Sussex and South Croydon.

Amanda Williams, from the CQC, said that leadership at the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, had been downgraded from outstanding to requires improvement.

Andrew Hines, the trust's chief executive, said it had made major changes to its executive leadership team and implemented a comprehensive improvement programme.

Williams said the most concerning part of the November inspection was that many staff did not feel safe to speak up.

"Inspectors heard that raising concerns through formal channels was difficult, that people feared reprisal and that concerns weren't always resolved when they were raised," she said.

That meant that risks went unaddressed which could have "real consequences for the people in their care."

Inspectors also highlighted that workers from ethnic minority backgrounds and those with disabilities reported worse experiences than colleagues, including higher levels of bullying and harassment and fewer opportunities for career progression.

However, Williams said that the CQC team had seen a "genuine commitment to improvement".

The trust had a programme empowering staff to drive real changes including practical improvements that meant people were not waiting as long for basic care needs to be met, he added.

Hines, who became chief executive a few weeks after the inspection, highlighted several areas where the trust had made improvements, including on staff support, freedom to speak up, equality, diversity and inclusion, governance and leadership development.

"We are fully committed to becoming an outstanding organisation once again," he said.

"We know there is much more we need to do, but I am confident that we are making positive progress and will continue to build on that in the year ahead."

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