Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of engagement of senior leaders at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; and what steps she is taking to improve (a) leadership visibility and (b) staff engagement.

These are matters for the Trust, but the Department understands that their senior leadership team meets regularly to focus on areas identified by the Care Quality Commission and the Trust’s own internal review, and has also put in place processes for staff to escalate issues with senior leaders, including an option for reporting concerns confidentially.