A follow up report into concerns raised about University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has today been published, showing good progress against previous recommendations.

The report comes after a patient safety review, led by Professor Mike Bewick and published in March 2023, set out that services at the Trust were safe but that there were a number of areas of concern, particularly with regards to governance and leadership, culture and staff welfare.

The initial review made a series of recommendations which the Trust has accepted in full and is committed to addressing, having already made good progress in a number of these areas.

  • Dame Yve Buckland has been appointed as permanent Chair of the organisation, driving forward a revised approach to Board governance designed to create a culture of continuous improvement as well as resetting the tone of the organisation.
  • Additional committees have been established for finance and performance, quality and safety and workforce and organisational development, supported by a clear reporting structure.
  • A Board development programme has been implemented, reflecting key findings of NHS England’s well-led review and a number of new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) have been recruited, bringing new skills and a fresh perspective.
  • The Trust is also moving towards a new group operating model, which will create local leadership at hospital/site level, enabling each hospital to run services according to local patient need and expertise.
  • The Interim Chief Executive has established and embedded a staff engagement programme meeting regularly, online and face-to-face, with hundreds of staff each week.

The follow up report also considers the ongoing work of the culture review, commissioned by the Trust, and NHS England’s well-led diagnostic, which has also been published today. More work still needs to be done to ensure appropriate improvements are made across the Trust and its hospital sites, which the leadership team has fully committed to, supported by the ICB and the wider health and care system.

This follow up report also highlights some further areas for consideration, which will be looked at in more detail through the ongoing culture review.

These areas include:

  • Concerns over GMC referrals and the overall processes around this in place at the Trust;
  • Concerns over the integrity of data entry in cardiac surgery;        
  • Concerns over allegations of misogynistic behaviour and sexual harassment.

Professor Mike Bewick, Lead External Reviewer said: “Our review, commissioned by NHS Birmingham and Solihull, has allowed us to provide UHB staff, patients and stakeholders an important and confidential space to share their views, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have been part of this process.

“While it is positive to note that good progress has been made against the recommendations set out in the initial phase of the review, it is vital that UHB now further builds on lessons learned and that the recommendations made across the four key areas continue to be actioned with pace to ensure further improvements are seen at the Trust.” 

David Melbourne, Chief Executive at NHS Birmingham and Solihull said: “This follow up report provides assurance that University Hospitals Birmingham has taken all of the recommendations from the initial review seriously, with good progress having already been made across a number of areas. Their improvement journey will be a long one, and while we have seen the beginnings of change, much work is still to be done to create a lasting and different culture across all levels and disciplines, and across all hospital sites.”

Patrick Vernon OBE, Interim Chair, NHS Birmingham and Solihull said: “I’d like to express my congratulations to Dame Yve following her appointment as Chair of University Hospitals Birmingham. Yve will continue to add strength to UHB’s top team at a time of change for the Trust. I’d like to express my personal thanks to Dame Yve for her support and leadership in helping us to establish our ICB and ICS.”
 

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