Independent Culture Review Report: Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The review team recommends that the Trust ensure that the 4Ps are appropriately balanced in their application within the Trust operating model.

The review team recommends that the Trust ensures that it provides leaders with sufficient local human resources support, ensuring local leaders implement staff policies consistently across the Trust.

The review team recommends that the Trust takes the opportunity to further build on the DBTH Way to ensure that staff are fully engaged with the values and descriptors.

The review team recommends that the Trust produces a clear action plan with SMART objectives to consistently tackle bullying and harassment within the Trust.

The review team recommends that the Trust undertake a review of the effectiveness of its implementation of EDI policies.

The review team recommends that the Trust further defines, embeds, and assures a zero-tolerance approach to the unacceptable behaviours identified by staff within this review, shaped by staff engagement. This should include a renewed approach to accountability, ensuring that individuals are appropriately and constructively held to account.

The review team recommends the Trust conduct a review of the effectiveness of its site parking arrangements, particularly at the DRI. The Trust should seek staff’s lived experience to inform its analysis and engage staff to co-create practical solutions that ensure safe and fair access.

The review team recommends that the Trust ensures all teams establish regular meetings or huddles where they are not already in place. Huddles and meetings should be supported by clear communication routes established to effectively distribute information and collate feedback.

The review team recommends that the Trust continues and prioritises its development of a staff engagement strategy with clear timelines, deliverables and SMART objectives, approved by the board and developed in partnership with staff. This strategy should seek to facilitate the development of open dialogue between staff and leaders, supporting a culture of coproduction within the Trust.

The review team recommends that the Trust ensures the FTSU process meets its intended purpose, assessing the effectiveness of that process, ensuring feedback is given to those raising concerns and the importance of confidentiality is understood by all. Any actions should be well publicised so staff consistently feel confident in using the FTSU route.

The review team recommends that the Trust continue to try to resolve the relationship issues between the Executive team and some senior medical staff.

The review team recommends that the Trust continues its review of the current utilisation of its estates to ensure that staff have a safe working environment, and patients are cared for in appropriate conditions.

The review team recommends that the Trust consider how to disseminate information and engage staff with the development of the implementation of the EPR.

The review team recommends that the Trust considers further exploring this sentiment with staff to understand if this result is representative of the sentiment of the wider staff base.