The report stated that the trust had “not ensured, Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) processes were effective, that racism and discrimination were addressed across all services and safeguarding systems and processes were effective”.
It indicated that while staff were aware of the FTSU process, it found that they “feared retribution when speaking up”, with some staff reporting that they “did not feel safe in completing staff surveys”.
Inspectors also found that certain staff believed there was a “performative culture”, in relation to the trust’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) ambitions “where senior leaders spoke of inclusion, but there was a lack of action on how the trust truly achieved this”.
This was compounded by the finding that “staff felt their career progression and opportunities could be compromised if they disclosed information about their protected characteristics”.