Leaders at Essex mental health trust told to improve
Trust responds to concerns about leadership and service quality
A watchdog has spotlighted leadership issues at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, following an inspection in March.
Serving over 3.2 million people across Luton and Bedfordshire, Essex, and Suffolk, the trust employs over 5,000 staff working at 200 sites, including community-based care.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, which focused on services such as mental health wards and Ardleigh ward, uncovered multiple areas in need of improvement owing to safety concerns.
Immediate actions were taken for certain issues, but ongoing oversight is still required, especially concerning mental health wards.
Crucial issues identified include communication lapses between senior leadership and frontline staff, significant delays in reviewing serious incidents, and a lack of clear strategies for diversity. Staff expressed concerns over the disconnect with management, with some self-harm and severe incidents awaiting reviews for over two years.
Victoria Green, CQC deputy director of mental health in East of England, noted:
“During our inspection of leadership at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, we found a board that had matured its management arrangements since our last inspection. However, this hadn’t yet been translated into a consistently positive experience for staff or sufficient monitoring of frontline care.”
In response to the report, Trevor Smith, Interim Joint Chief Executive Officer at Essex Partnership University NHS Trust, acknowledged the feedback and highlighted progress:
"It’s really important to work with the CQC and other partners so that together we can improve healthcare for all our communities."
Smith emphasised the dedication to further enhancing care,
"I’m proud of the work all of our staff do for our patients each and every day, continually enhancing the quality of patient care across our services.
"Whilst we have made improvements, there is more to do to ensure that everyone experiences the best possible care and we are firmly committed to that.”
The trust said it had collaborated with patients to "re-design" the care on their wards and had invested in mental health urgent care centres.