Newcastle Hospitals Await Fresh Review After Critical CQC Report

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Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have commissioned a separate independent review of the trust’s leadership, led by auditors Grant Thornton. That assessment will examine progress across family health, surgical services, and cardiothoracics,

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00:00In 2024, the Care Quality Commission downgraded the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust

00:06from outstanding to requires improvement.

00:10Inspectors cited bullying allegations, concerns over patient safety

00:14and what they call a significant deterioration in leadership.

00:18Since then, the Trust, which runs the Freeman Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary,

00:22has made major changes to its management

00:25and sets out an action plan aimed at addressing those failings.

00:28A re-inspection had been expected this year,

00:31but health chiefs say the Trust has now moved down the CQC risk profile,

00:36meaning the watchdog is not likely to return in the near future.

00:40Instead, NHS leaders have commissioned a separate independent review

00:43of the Trust's leadership, led by order as Grant Thornton.

00:47That assessment will examine family health, surgical services and cardiothoracics,

00:53and those findings are expected later this month.

00:55The Freeman's Cardio-Thoracic Unit has been the focus of serious concerns.

01:01Staff have previously alleged a culture of bullying and intimidation

01:04and claimed that safety incidents were sometimes covered up.

01:08Restrictions imposed by the CQC were lifted in September 2024,

01:13after inspectors were satisfied that improvements were being made.

01:16But in recent weeks, Trust leaders told counsellors

01:19they were monitoring a recent spike in surgical never-events or avoidable errors,

01:24although they stressed that the incidents caused only low harm or were not connected.

01:29Despite the challenges, the Trust reported progress elsewhere.

01:33Its elective waiting list has fallen from over 102,000 patients

01:37to just over 89,000 in a year,

01:39and it remains on track to deliver more than £106 million in planned savings.

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