Under fire Black Country mental health trust not functioning well, says NHS

Google A mental health trust struggling with leadership issues and distrust among staff is “not functioning well” with a “tolerance of poor behaviour”, an investigation has found. NHS England visited Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in July and September after it was placed under extra scrutiny last November. Chair Jeremy Vanes announced last week he was to stand down. Findings showed “an apparent disconnect from the board to frontline staff” with some staff feeling isolated and disengaged. The trust said it fully accepted the findings and was committed to addressing the issues and improving. In May last year, the trust was told to improve following an inspection after several safeguarding incidents, including CCTV footage appearing to show staff sleeping in a patient’s bed as he was left lying on a floor. Last November, doctors backed a vote of no confidence in their management team and in August, an independent investigation into the culture at the trust found distrust among staff at all levels and concerns over leadership. Throughout 2024, external organisations continued to receive concerns about the trust, mostly anonymously, the trust said in papers for a board meeting on Wednesday. That led to NHS England and the local...