NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) has today announced three major reviews into University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) to address the immediate allegations made by BBC Newsnight but also to look in depth at any broader leadership and cultural issues at the trust.
The first review will get underway immediately and will focus on the specific allegations made through BBC Newsnight, in particular the review of 12 patient deaths by Dr Nikolousis in 2017 and the issues raised by clinicians speaking up about concerns of patient safety and bullying.
An experienced senior independent clinician from outside the local health system has agreed to oversee this review and is expected to report no later than the end of next month.
The Trust is also commissioning a broader external review of culture at UHB as well as an external Well-Led Review, which will be done in partnership with NHS England and NHS Birmingham and Solihull.
These reviews will be designed to support both the ICB and the UHB leadership team to better understand any deeper issues that need resolving at the Trust and put in place the action necessary to support the dedicated and committed staff, working tirelessly to provide high quality services for patients.
These reviews will be expected to report in the first half of 2023.
Patrick Vernon, Interim Chair of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board said:
“As a system we must ensure that we are listening and responding to our patients and staff, and we will be relentless in a joint pursuit of improvement and positive transformation while recognising that NHS staff at this time are working through the most challenging period in their careers.
“This means we all need to respond positively and proportionately when improvements are needed and I have confidence we can achieve that, as well as recognise fantastic patient care within University Hospitals Birmingham.
“We have considerable confidence in the leadership team in place at University Hospitals Birmingham led by newly-appointed interim Chair Dame Yve Buckland, and Johnathan Brotherton, who takes on the CEO responsibilities. They are committed to working collaboratively to openly investigate the serious concerns that have been raised.
“These reviews will give us the tools we need to address the important issues raised and provide external expertise and recommendations on how best to address them. They will build on the support already in place and take a genuine system approach to the development of their recommendations.”