A SPECIAL meeting is being held to discuss the findings of a long-awaited report into allegations of bullying and harassment at Worcestershire’s acute hospitals.

An extraordinary meeting of the board of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has been called for Thursday, August 27 to discuss the findings of a review by the Good Governance Institute.

The meeting at the Charles Hastings Education Centre at Worcestershire Royal Hospital will begin at 1pm and will be open to the public but meeting papers have not yet been made available as the report itself is not expected to be released until August 27.

The report was commissioned by the Trust Development Authority in March following a number of claims around alleged bullying and harassment of staff at the trust by senior managers.

The allegations prompting the report came a particularly fraught time for the trust, with one of the busiest winters in memory putting serious strain on hospitals and staff.

An extremely high number of patients visiting the Royal’s A&E department meant many had to be treated in the corridor.

And in January paramedic and union representative Stuart Gardner was banned from the Royal after claiming patients were being put at risk by the extreme pressure staff were being put under.

A report by the Care Quality Commission following a surprise inspection at the A&E departments at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital and the Royal found the two sites were being “overwhelmed” as well as concerns around the amount of non-permanent staff. But the report did not raise any concerns around bullying.

A full inspection of the two sites, as well as Kidderminster Hospital, was also carried out last month, with initial feedback saying much had improved.

The full report is not expected to be released until next month at the earliest.

The Advertiser will publish a full report into the meeting and the findings of the investigation – which is also expected to include findings and recommendations around how complaints are responded to and investigated – following the meeting.

Check the Advertiser website for the latest information.