United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust staff feel ‘overworked’ and have ‘low levels’ of satisfaction, say health inspectors

Staff at Lincolnshire hospitals feel “overworked” and have “low levels” of satisfaction, according to health inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission raised concerns following a review into the culture, vision, governance and leadership at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust.

The CQC also said it “did not see enough evidence” that staff from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds were being supported through their careers at ULHT.

Inspectors visited the trust in July and a formal report is expected to be published at a later date.

Bosses at ULHT said the trust is “fully committed” to supporting and developing staff.

During the inspection, the CQC said there were “high numbers” of staff that felt overworked and workforce inequality had “not been sufficiently addressed”.

In a feedback letter to trust chief executive, Andrew Morgan, it said: “There are low levels of staff satisfaction in the trust and high numbers of staff feeling overworked.”

It added: “We did not see enough evidence of how staff from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background were being supported through their career development.

“The causes of workforce inequality have not been sufficiently addressed.”

Meanwhile, inspectors also raised concern about leadership training at ULHT.

The CQC said: “Not all of the leaders have all the skills, abilities, and commitment to provide high-quality services. 

“Most leaders recognise the training needs of managers at all levels, including themselves, and work to provide development opportunities for the future of the organisation. 

“The outcome of the leadership development programmes has not yet realised.”

Martin Rayson, director of human resources and organisational development at ULHT, said while the trust had not received the full CQC report, it was still committed to improving staff to deliver the “highest standard of care”.

He said: “We had a complete review of our training and leadership offer for staff last year, which now includes modules on managing change, coaching and difficult conversations and mediation, but recognise we have more to do to enable our talented staff to progress within the trust.

“We also recognise that the scores in last year’s NHS Staff Survey were disappointing but we have been looking at the responses in detail and meeting with staff face-to-face, to understand their concerns and address these issues.

“We value input from all our staff, regardless of their background and offer inclusive support to our black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and those from other communities via our blossoming range of staff networks, which along with black, Asian and minority ethnic, include LGBT+ staff, colleagues from the armed forces and those with mental and physical disability lived experience.”

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