Alexandra Hospital bullying claims investigated

Four Accident and Emergency consultants at the Alexandra Hospital and one at Worcestershire Royal Hospital resigned earlier this month.

Claims of a bullying culture at a trust where five A&E consultants quit simultaneously are to be investigated.

It comes after campaigners met with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Monday to discuss concerns about the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

The trust said the independent inquiry would look at the way bullying reports at its hospitals are handled.

Earlier this month, the entire consultant team running A&E services at the hospital resigned.

Bosses are due to meet the five consultants later to ask why they resigned simultaneously.

'Business as usual'

Former Alexandra Hospital sister Mandy Bridgman has claimed 30 nurses left over a two-year period up to 2013 - many because of bullying.

The trust said the bullying allegations were investigated and found to be untrue.

There is no direct link between the alleged bullying and the resignation earlier this month of four consultants from the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and one from the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, BBC Hereford and Worcester's political reporter Matt Bone said.

Neal Stote, from the Save the Alex Campaign, welcomed the news of the investigation but said he was disappointed no immediate action was being taken to ensure services remained viable.

Harry Turner, chairman of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We are confident these actions will demonstrate how seriously we are taking the events of recent weeks and enable us to put in place a plan moving forward.

"Whilst these issues have been very much in the spotlight, it is important to stress that it is very much business as usual for us as we continue to ensure the continued delivery of high quality and safe patient care for the Worcestershire population."

No-one has yet been commissioned to undertake the investigation.