Statement in response to findings of the Good Governance Institute independent investigation
Statement
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said:
“We fully accept the findings of the report and apologise unreservedly for the failings that have been identified. We owe it to all our service users, their families, carers, and our hard-working staff to put things right. We are now examining the report in detail and will act on it quickly and appropriately.
“Our draft Improvement Plan, published in February, spearheads our improvement journey. We have already begun to make progress to improve patient safety, create a better working environment for our staff, and strengthen our leadership and governance.
“Following this report, and using the feedback we have gathered during the engagement period, we will be updating the plan to reflect these further changes and recommendations.”
Background information
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The independent investigation by the Good Governance Institute looked at our governance and assurance processes. We have published the report here: www.gmmh.nhs.uk/incidents-investigations.
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It found that our governance systems failed to provide an accurate picture of what it was like to be service user or a member of staff within GMMH. We should have been more inquisitive and looked more in-depth at what was happening in services.
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GMMH’s draft Improvement Plan, which was launched in February and is under consultation until 31st March 2023, includes a number of immediate actions to tackle the most urgent quality and safety issues, alongside a comprehensive set of long-term ambitions to improve everything we do at the Trust. It can be found here: https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/improvement-plan. We have begun to deliver on the plan, around the five key pillars of:
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Patient Safety
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Clinical Strategy and Professional Standards
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An Empowered and Thriving Workforce
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An Open and Listening Organisations
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A Well-Governed and Well-Led Trust
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Following this report, and using the feedback we have gathered during the engagement period; we will be updating the plan to reflect these further changes and recommendations.
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In November, NHS England announced an independent review of the services we provide and in February, Professor Oliver Shanley OBE was confirmed as its Chair. We will ensure that the report is available in full to Professor Shanley, in order to inform the work of that review.
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We will also continue to work closely with regional and national partners including NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board and Greater Manchester Police to ensure the safety and quality of our services.
ENDS
