CQC’s investigation into Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRT) has revealed serious failings throughout the entire trust.

Key findings

Despite some signs of improvement in recent months, patients still remain at risk of poor care, particularly those receiving maternity services.

Problems found in maternity services include:

• poor clinical care.
• abusive and unprofessional behaviour from staff.
• a lack of learning from maternal deaths and incidents.
• lack of leadership from senior management.

Other areas of concern:

• A&E services at Queen’s Hospital struggled to meet the target for admissions.
• Staff vacancies were filled by agency, locum or bank staff which had an impact on the quality of care.
• Lines of communication within the new structure were unclear.
• Trust governance systems and corporate governance were weak.
• Response to complaints was poor.

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