West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust: Publication of Independent Review Report

Thursday 9th December 2021 Written Statements

[The Minister for Health (Edward Argar)]

Today NHS England and NHS Improvement have published the report of the independent investigation to review whistleblowing at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. This review was commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement at the request of the Department for Health and Social Care. It followed widely reported events arising from an anonymous letter sent to the relative of a patient who had died at the trust.

The review led by Christine Outram MBE has considered as its starting point the appropriateness and impact of the actions taken by the trust and other relevant bodies in response to the issues raised by and connected with the October letter. The review was also asked to produce advisory recommendations and learnings.

The findings of the review describe a breakdown in working practices and shine a light upon an executive team that was not sufficiently held to account by its board. In particular, the review found that fingerprinting and use of biometrics such as handwriting experts is not appropriate in any NHS context. The review also found that in handling whistleblowing material made available through unconventional or even inappropriate means, the NHS should still focus on what and why something is being raised, rather than who has raised it.

There is significant learning to be gathered from the report in relation to how freedom to speak up was implemented in the trust; and how freedom to speak up concerns should be separated from performance and disciplinary matters. The report also emphasises the importance of having strong board governance and checks and balance processes in place.

The trust and other relevant organisations including NHS England and NHS Improvement, the GMC and CQC will need to take stock of the findings of this important report. Indeed, this is a lesson for all NHS organisations to actively work to promote an open culture.

The Government take the issue of speaking up extremely seriously and have put in place clear sources of support for staff to help them raise a concern, including the speak up direct helpline and website and the National Guardian to help drive positive cultural change across the NHS so that speaking up becomes business as usual. The National Guardian also provides support and leadership to a network of over 700 local freedom to speak up guardians, covering every trust, whose role is to support staff who want to speak up about something.

The Government have also enhanced the legal protections available for those who speak up to prohibit discrimination against job applicants on the grounds that they have raised concerns. This is additional to the longstanding provisions of the Employment Rights Act 1996, amended by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which gives legal protection against detriment to all workers who speak up. We will continue to support the right of all workers in the NHS and wider health and care sector to speak up.

This review and its report have been delayed in part by the covid pandemic and complicated by the sheer scale of the issues that have emerged from this investigation. I would therefore like to thank Christine Outram and her team for their diligence, commitment, and hard work in getting to the heart of these matters.

This is a comprehensive report describing a complicated set of circumstances. Much has happened in the trust since the review was first commissioned. The report outlines the changes and actions the trust has taken to improve its HR, culture and leadership practices. These are encouraging signs that that the trust is learning and should be better placed in the future.

Whilst the response to the anonymous whistleblowing letter represents an unusual set of events specific to one organisation, the Department will absorb the report and consider the learning for the wider system and discuss with NHSEI what the next steps might be.

I have placed a copy of the report of the independent review into West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS463]