The Christie Hospital downgraded by CQC
It's now rated as 'good' instead of 'outstanding'
A world-leading cancer hospital hit by claims of alleged staff bullying has had its rating downgraded by a regulator.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) told the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester it 'requires improvement' when it comes to safety and leadership.
A previous external review, commissioned by NHS England in 2020, found current and former staff had reported "instances of inappropriate behaviours and unfair treatment... feeling intimidated... the existence of cliques, the abuse of positional power".
Reviewers added: "An experience of bullying, harassment and racial prejudice was described along with lack of respect at work."
In the new CQC report, the trust's overall grading was downgraded from 'outstanding' to 'good', with safety and well led marked as requires improvement.
The report said:
"Staff told us that some senior leaders were not always visible or approachable...
"Very senior executives were heavily invested in the promotion and protection of the trust's reputation.
"This impacted negatively on some staff; staff did not always feel supported and valued.
"A minority of staff expressed reservations about raising concerns and others did not always feel listened to. Although, staff remained focused on the needs of patients receiving care."
However, the team of experts said they did find outstanding practice at the trust and that, in medical care, "we found staff treated people with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity and met people's individual needs".
The Christie is the largest single site cancer centre in Europe, treating more than 60,000 people a year.
Roger Spencer, chief executive of the Christie, said:
"We are pleased that the CQC has rated us good despite the difficulties the NHS has faced over the past few years.
"Demand for cancer services has continued to rise, resulting in us treating more patients than ever before.
"We are working hard to make the improvements that have been highlighted by the CQC, ensuring that all our staff feel supported and valued and I thank all of them for continuing to put patients at the centre of everything we do."