Staff subjected to 'racist and bullying behaviours' at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - CQC report
A new report has criticised leadership at Leeds teaching hospitals after staff were subjected to “racist and bullying behaviours.”
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated leadership at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as requires improvement following an inspection in June.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust consists of Leeds General Infirmary, St James's University Hospital, Leeds Children's Hospital, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Wharfedale Hospital, Seacroft Hospital and Leeds Dental Institute.
The inspection looked at how well-led the trust is and was carried out following concerns identified during a recent inspection of the trust’s maternity and neonatal services when enforcement action was taken, and a warning notice was issued.
Brendan Brown, who joined LTH as interim Chief Executive in mid-September 2025, said he wanted to “sincerely apologise” after the CQC received reports of colleagues being subjected to “racist and bullying behaviours.”
Rob Assall, CQC director of operations in the north, said: “During our well-led inspection of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we found leaders were aware of the challenges they faced, however some weren’t as clear on how services could be improved which negatively impacted on how services were run.
“Leaders didn’t always listen to concerns, and some staff had negative experiences when they voiced issues, which impacted their wellbeing and the quality of people’s care. We received several in-depth accounts from staff of bullying and harassment in the workplace which provided evidence of behaviours which didn’t align with the trust’s values.”
“We have told leaders the areas where improvements are needed to ensure the trust is led successfully, and we will continue to monitor them, including through future inspections, to ensure the necessary improvements are made.”
While inspectors found examples of leaders who were inclusive, transparent and fostered a culture of transparency, learning and improvement, this was “not consistent in all areas,” and significant improvement was required to support and enable the aspired culture.
The report also noted a lack of consistency in escalation and reporting both from the CSUs and through executive mechanisms and associated board committees to the board. There “appeared to be some confusion” regarding roles, responsibilities and accountabilities between board committee level and the CSUs.
CQC inspectors received “several detailed and in-depth accounts” from staff, of bullying, harassment and detriment which had been experienced. While this was a “relatively small number of staff comparable to the size of the organisation,” the accounts were described as powerful and provided evidence of pockets of practice and behaviours which did not align with the trust’s values. This included all grades, designations and racial backgrounds of staff.
Brendan Brown, interim CEO at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said: “The CQC has identified that we have work to do to improve in a number of areas, particularly around our leadership processes, and ensuring a better balance between finances and the quality of our services.
“We must focus on listening to our patients, our communities and our colleagues and be more curious about what we’re told. We also need to improve on how we act on what we hear. These changes need to happen quickly, as it is what the people we care for and work alongside expect and deserve. Working together with our new Chair Antony Kildare and the wider Board, my priority is to make sure we address these fundamental issues.
“The CQC received reports of colleagues being subjected to racist and bullying behaviours, and a number of staff members said their concerns weren’t listened to and that they experienced detriment after raising issues. I want to sincerely apologise to those colleagues.
“We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where colleagues feel safe, respected, and supported, but we clearly have more work to do to ensure racism, discrimination and bullying have no place in our hospitals.”
Despite significant concerns being raised, the CQC said that there was a coherent consensus among senior leaders of where the trust was in terms of its strategic ambition and operational delivery, and how to improve to deliver consistent care that is safe and person-centred.
There is also “strong and longstanding partnership” with other trusts in the area, which enabled leaders to share information and improve care, according to the report and leaders are aware they need to improve the effectiveness of their board and have taken steps to do this.
The CQC further noted that the trust’s inpatient survey showed that LTH scored ‘about the same’ as other trusts in each overall category and scored ‘somewhat better than expected’ for the category of kindness and compassion.