Getty ImagesA healthcare provider serving almost a million people “requires improvement”, inspectors say.
Sirona Care and Health, which delivers NHS and council-funded healthcare services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, was told its leadership must improve after an inspection in February.
In a report published on Friday, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had inspected the non-profit due to concerns about quality of care and stability of leadership after sudden changes.
A spokesperson for Sirona told the BBC the findings on its leadership were “disappointing” but said it was “not a reflection on the care” it provides.
Sirona provides a range of services on behalf on the NHS, including mental health care, end of life care and community health services for children, families and young people as well as three urgent care centres.
In its report the CQC found the organisation – which serves about 940,000 patients – had breached legal regulations on the management of its services, leading it to downgrade Sirona from “good” to “requires improvement”.
It found that while staff understood how to speak up about issues, it said leaders lacked transparency and accountability, and that there was a culture that created fear of retribution for raising problems.
People using Sirona’s services also said the organisation did not engage with them about working out how to improve services, such as reducing long waiting times for autism and ADHD assessments.
‘Trying their best’
While these were raised as concerns, the CQC report did find that Sirona staff were “dedicated and knowledgeable”, and worked to make sure care was not impacted by financial constraints.
Catherine Campbell, CQC’s deputy director for the South West, said inspectors found staff were “trying their best”, but that leadership challenges were “affecting its ability to deliver consistently good care to the communities it serves”.
Ms Campbell also noted that the organisation’s 2024 race equality report had shown that staff from ethnic minority groups were four times less likely to be appointed than white applicants and were more likely to face disciplinary action and experience discrimination from colleagues.
Disabled staff, she said, were also less likely to be appointed and more likely to experience bullying and harassment.
However, Ms Campbell added there was “recognition from the board that things needed to change”.
A Sirona spokesperson said that since February “substantial progress” had been made to address issues in “leadership, governance and culture”, with a new chief executive and senior team in place.
