By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
The Chief Executive of the trust which runs the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital says “green shoots of recovery” are showing after a critical report last year.
Anthony May started work as Chief Executive at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) in September 2022, after leaving the same role at Nottinghamshire County Council.
Inspectors rated NUH as ‘requires improvement’ in July 2021, with an ‘inadequate’ rating also applied to whether services are well led.
Concerns over the leadership of the organisation were so serious the trust was served with a warning notice after the inspection – requiring them to make widespread changes.
A number of allegations of bullying cases at the trust were found to be “directly attributable to racial discrimination”, and some staff were “too frightened” to speak up.
Maternity services are also rated ‘inadequate’ at NUH.
Mr May could not say exactly when trust expects to return to a ‘good’ rating – but said: “There is a strong sense of commitment and people pulling together to try and improve.”
He added that he has been “deeply impressed by the commitment of the people and their willingness to change” and is beginning to see “green shoots of recovery”.
He said the main issues within the organisation are leadership and culture, flow through the hospital and recruitment and retention.
He said: “I wouldn’t want to speculate as to how an inspection outcome might turn out, that’s probably months away.
“When I joined the trust it was obvious – and publicly so – that the trust has difficulties with people feeling they have been bullied, harassed and discriminated against.
“Everyone in the system was shocked and surprised that NUH failed in the way it did, it motivated me more than most to come and do something about it.
“Nobody wants that in a 21st century workplace.
“When I read it [the report] I was in my previous job and I remember being shocked and saddened.
“I can see even in the months I’ve been at NUH, people are starting to feel better about working here.
“In NUH our failings have been very publicly exposed and people want to make that better. Nobody wants to work in a perceived failing organisation.”
Mr May said 88 per cent of actions in the ‘well led’ action plan are embedded or “on their way to being complete”.
He said the remaining 12 per cent the trust is “absolutely focused on”.
Mr May said when he started in the Chief Executive role, he wrote to staff sharing his experience of bullying as a teenager.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m not comparing my experience to anyone who has been racially bullied, but I did want to try and identify with colleagues.
“I know how those things feel and I will not tolerate it.”
He added the trust will soon be recruiting to four senior vacancies, some of which are board members.
Two new heads of midwifery will also be starting in the new year, which Mr May said are “critical to changing the culture”.
Mr May said during the meeting: “In response to the CQC [inspectors the Care Quality Commission] we are bringing fresh leadership into the organisation and to a degree, I represent that as well.
“One of the significant criticisms in the CQC report is that there was a distance between the board and the things that concerned people at the front end.
“If things are reported to me, as they have been on my travels, I make the trust chairman aware and the board aware if appropriate.”
