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08
Jul 2021
Hospital bosses 'disappointed' after highly critical e-mail circulated
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has said it is “disappointed” after an anonymous e-mail was circulated criticising chief executive Steve Russell’s leadership.
A highly critical e-mail has been circulated to non-executive directors at the trust, the chair of HDFT, Angela Schofield, the Care Quality Commission and to the media.
The e-mail, which is anonymous, makes unsubstantiated allegations against Mr Russell and accuses him of being at the centre of a culture of fear at the hospital.
The sender of the e-mail said it had been circulated as there was “no other way to safely surface” the concerns and that it was sent anonymously because of an alleged “fear of reprisal”.
It goes on to say that staff and senior leaders at the hospital are scared to speak up and the reason for the e-mail was a result of “two years of sustained and escalating behaviour”.
It says:
The Stray Ferret tried to reach out to the anonymous sender, but received a bounce back e-mail.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Russell and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, a spokesperson said in response:
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The trust appointed consultancy firm Deloitte to carry out a review into the trust’s culture and leadership in August 2019.
It included Harrogate Integrated Facilities (HIF), a subsidiary which runs the hospital’s estates.
The results of the review was published in a report last year.
The review found that staff view both the board of directors and executive, which includes Mr Russell, positively, with management being "frequently described as an open and inclusive team".
However, the report found concerns over the hospital's estates department.
Following interviews with 52 members of staff and 63 surveys, the report found “widespread concerns” over bullying, leadership and poor recruitment practice at HIF.
Behaviour cited in a report included defacing tools or belongings with offensive graffiti, collectively ignoring or ostracising people and damaging belongings of individuals, including gluing of equipment or lockers.
After the review, the hospital board agreed to launch an investigation which will be carried out by an external body into reported bullying and poor recruitment practice in the department.
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