Southern Health: 'No cultural change' at NHS trust

(L-R) David West, Robert Small, Marion Munns, Edward Hartley and Jo Deering died in the care of Southern Health Foundation Trust

A carer has told a panel investigating a scandal-hit NHS trust he has not seen a "cultural change" at the organisation.

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust is being investigated after failures in its care of five patients who died between 2011 and 2015.

Carer Nick Ralls said his experience of "engagement" from the trust's board had "got worse over time".

He said he could not see "any improvement" in the complaints process.

"I don't see a cultural change," Mr Ralls told the panel. "It seems to be more problematic as time goes on, the way the complaints are handled."

Mr Ralls was giving evidence as part of a long-running inquiry into how Southern Health currently handles complaints, communicates with families of patients, and carries out investigations.

It follows a report by Nigel Pascoe QC that found the trust, one of the biggest psychiatric trusts in England, acted with "disturbing insensitivity and a serious lack of proper communication".

Earlier in the inquiry, staff members said there had been a "cultural shift" at the trust.

Mr Ralls said his own experience as a carer was that "when you put in a complaint and it's investigated and a report is done, it's not followed up".

Mr Ralls said the board "should be more directly involved in complaints to make sure these complaints are followed through".

"They go through the motions and when an investigation has been carried out or drawn up you do not see any results from it," he said.

"Your hopes are raised and then your hopes are dashed."

Mr Ralls suggested there should be a "more independent investigative process" for complaints with a "separate unit" like those in police forces, which oversee complaints and "make sure there is follow up and action is taken".

Who are the five families?

• Maureen Rickman, sister of Jo Deering, 52, from New Milton, Hampshire, who died in 2011

• Diane Small, mother of Robert Small, 28, from Fareham, Hampshire, who died in 2012

• Richard West, father of David West, 28, from Southampton, who died in 2013

• Ian and Jane Hartley, parents of Edward Hartley, 18, from Wickham, Hampshire, who died in 2014

• Angie Mote and Kim Vella, daughters of Marion Munns, 74, from Southampton, who died in 2015

Ahead of the inquiry, the bereaved families decided to withdraw from the process after they claimed to have been "misled, misrepresented and bullied" by the NHS.

Mr Ralls said he could not "bare to think" what the bereaved families of patients who had died had gone through in terms of challenging the trust and dealing with dozens of emails and letters.

"I can understand people thinking 'it's too much hard work this'," he said.

"Boy you have to fight for it. What a struggle it is. It's not easy."

In 2015, the trust was found to have failed to investigate hundreds of deaths.

The inquiry continues.