Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has paid consultants £82,000 to investigate concerns of a “culture of bullying” within the organisation.
Deloitte was commissioned for £30,000 to examine concerns about leadership and culture at the trust and Harrogate Integrated Facilities, a a wholly-owned subsidiary that supplies services to Harrogate District Hospital and community services.
A 2018 national NHS staff survey, a British Medical Association member survey and the trust’s own ‘fair and just culture’ diagnostic had triggered concerns.
After it found issues in some areas of the service, the trust commissioned Deloitte for a further £52,000 to undertake a detailed review of leadership and recruitment practices at HIF which was published at a trust board meeting in June 2020.
Deloitte’s report said some staff described the culture at HIF as “toxic”. It cited cases of people being ignored or ostracised, belongings defaced with offensive graffiti and people’s lockers and equipment being glued.
£82,000 culture review
The initial review included interviews with 52 members of staff and 63 surveys. It found “widespread concerns” over bullying, leadership and poor recruitment practice at HIF.
The report said a “significant number” of those interviewed explicitly stated that bullying was taking place or described events that could be labeled as such. It added some of the reports were dismissed as “banter”.
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Deloitte also found that the approach to recruitment at HIF “did not demonstrate good practice” and recommended a thorough review of its policies.
As a result, the trust launched a formal investigations into the findings.
Trust ‘confident’ it has addressed report findings
The Stray Ferret asked the trust how it had addressed poor recruitment at HIF and whether any staff members were disciplined as a result of the investigation.
The trust said it was confident its recruitment policy complied with company policy and that it had addressed Deloitte’s findings.
Steve Russell, chief executive of HDFT, said:
“In 2018, we conducted a staff survey which showed that whilst staff at both HDFT and our subsidiary company Harrogate Integrated Facilities generally had positive experiences, there were some experiences that were not in line with the trust’s values.
“We felt that a more detailed assessment of culture at HDFT and HIF was required to help us to understand the issues. It was important that the assessment was independent, objective and avoided conflicts of interest to ensure we had an accurate picture of what we were doing well, but more importantly what we needed to improve on.
“Deloitte was commissioned at an initial cost of £30,000 to undertake the assessment. This revealed a number of issues that needed to be addressed in a small number of services, and we decided therefore to commission a second piece of work from Deloitte at a cost of £52,000, which explored in much greater detail the areas of concern that had been identified.
“The concerns have been treated as a matter of priority. An investigation into the issues identified within our radiology department was undertaken by two experienced people who were independent of the trust and each other. Their finding and recommendations have been used to improve the environment for our staff.
“A formal investigation into allegations and harassment in estates and HIF was undertaken by colleagues within the trust. A capacity and capability review of leadership in HIF was also conducted by an independent, experienced NHS director of estates and facilities. This review has led to changes within the company. We are confident that recruitment practices now comply with the company’s policy.
“There are a number of other changes we have made in line with the plan we published at the time of the Deloitte review to improve the experience of colleagues who work here and this work will continue.”
