NHS staff dismissed after investigation over conduct

Staff at an NHS trust have been sacked after an investigation into the conduct of workers.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust previously said more than 30 employees had been suspended.

This followed a report in The Independent in January, which detailed claims of serious misconduct at Highbury Hospital, a mental health facility in Nottingham.

Jen Guiver, executive director of people and culture at the trust, said an investigation led to "a range of outcomes" including a number of staff being dismissed.

The BBC asked the trust how many people had lost their jobs and to confirm whether they worked at Highbury Hospital, but it has not responded.

According to The Independent, the staff were initially suspended following allegations including falsifying mental health observations at Highbury Hospital.

The report also said claims had been made that patients were maltreated.

Ms Guiver said: "We are committed to ensuring our patients receive the care they deserve, and where there is an allegation that staff conduct has fallen below what we would expect we will investigate fully and fairly.

"All cases linked to therapeutic observations, which led to staff being suspended, were thoroughly investigated under our internal conduct procedure.

"There was a range of outcomes to these cases, including a number of staff being dismissed from their employment at the trust."

It comes after Rampton Hospital - a high-security psychiatric hospital run by the same trust - was rated "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission following an inspection in June and July 2023.

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