Public Board of Directors papers 27.01.22

Agenda item 02/22b

Board of Directors meeting Thursday 27 th January 2022 NHSEI Rapid Review

Introduction This report brings to the attention of the board of directors the conclusions of the NHS Regional Office from the report of the Rapid Review that it commissioned in September 2020 into concerns raised about the Research and Innovation Division (R+ID) at The Christie. These concerns relate to planning and leadership functions within the R+ID and at no stage have any concerns been raised about direct patient care. The letter from NHSE/I North West notes that the majority of the report’s recommendations have already been addressed and confirms that as the commissioner of the “Rapid Review” the regional office has concluded that • There is no need for any regulatory action. • There is no evidence of wrong doing by staff and board members of The Christie in relation to allegations of bribery and embezzlement. The review report, which has been approved for publication by the Regional Office, also indicates that: • The Christie’s systems and processes for supporting speaking through the Freedom to Speak Up policy up are consistent with national guidance, are appropriately reported and have been updated in the past 12 months. • The confidentiality of those raising concerns about the R+ID in early 2020 has been maintained by the Trust and the report shows no evidence of detriment to the individuals involved because of the speaking up process. • There have been significant changes to the leadership arrangements and structure of the R+ID at the Trust since early 2020 with appointment of a new R+I Director and appointment of a new Medical Director for the National Institute of Health research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility at The Christie (CCRF). • Some specific matters relating to individual employment circumstances are being pursued through the Employment Tribunal, but the review team has found no evidence of systematic discrimination or poor practice at The Christie. • No regulatory action is needed because of the findings, but the Trust is advised to continue to update and review its policies in line with good practice. These findings are entirely consistent with the conclusions of our external auditors, Grant Thornton, who before passing approving our annual accounts in 2021 made enquiries with the then NHS Regional Director about the possible implications of the review and concluded that there was no evidence of any serious weaknesses in the Trust’s governance systems and no evidence of bribery or embezzlement as alleged by one of the people raising concerns. Other objective data about The Christie from the most recent NHS national staff survey also supports these conclusions: • Overall - we score at or better than the national average in 9 out of the 10 categories • Equality and Diversity - our score of 9.1 (out of 10) is the second highest within our benchmark group

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