CQC Leeds York Partnership Leadership Rating: Trust Requires Improvement

• The CQC rated Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as "requires improvement" for its leadership following an April inspection.
• The trust, which serves over 3,000 staff across 66 sites, was found in breach of good management regulations.
• While leaders were compassionate, the pace of addressing risks in areas like fire safety, out-of-area placements, and safeguarding was too slow.
• The CQC now uses a single trust-level rating for leadership and culture, replacing previous individual ratings.
• The trust showed positive commitment to improving health inequalities and received positive feedback from 75% of surveyed service users.

The pace of change did not consistently offer adequate assurance that identified risks were being addressed both effectively and uniformly across the organization.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a "requires improvement" rating for the leadership of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This assessment followed an inspection conducted between April 14 and 16, focusing specifically on the trust's governance and leadership effectiveness. The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is a significant provider of specialized care, serving autistic individuals, those with learning disabilities, and people experiencing mental health needs across the Leeds and York regions.

Operating from 66 distinct locations, the trust employs a substantial workforce exceeding 3,000 staff members. At the time of the CQC's visit, the trust was engaged in preliminary discussions regarding a potential merger with a local community trust. These discussions have since progressed, and Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is now planning to merge with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust to form Leeds Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on April 1, 2027. This process is facilitated by their existing arrangement of sharing a single chief executive officer. A key finding from the inspection was that the trust was not in compliance with regulations pertaining to sound management practices. This CQC Leeds York Partnership leadership rating highlights specific areas where the trust's oversight mechanisms fell short.

During their comprehensive review, CQC inspectors observed that the trust's leadership demonstrated qualities of compassion and inclusivity, with a clear positive outlook on the organizational culture. Leaders expressed a strong commitment to actively soliciting feedback from both staff and service users, intending to use this input to drive necessary improvements. However, a significant concern emerged regarding the speed at which certain improvements were being implemented. The pace of change did not consistently offer adequate assurance that identified risks were being addressed both effectively and uniformly across the organization.

While staff members were found to have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, the CQC's findings from recent service inspections indicated that existing systems were not always successful in delivering consistently high-quality care. Furthermore, these systems sometimes failed to ensure that both staff and leaders possessed a thorough understanding of critical issues. Specific areas identified as requiring immediate and substantial improvement included fire safety protocols, the practice of placing patients in out-of-area facilities, and the robustness of safeguarding processes. The trust needed to enhance its efforts in managing and mitigating these risks more efficiently and with greater urgency. Despite these concerns from the NHS Foundation Trust CQC inspection, the assessment also revealed positive aspects, including that 75% of individuals who participated in a survey reported their care as either good or very good. The trust also demonstrated a dedication to addressing health inequalities, notably through a partnership with local community and voluntary sector organizations to develop a citywide strategy for tackling ethnic disparities in mental health services.

This "requires improvement" rating for the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust underscores the Care Quality Commission's updated methodology for assessing NHS trusts. The CQC now assigns a single, overarching trust-level rating that specifically evaluates leadership and organizational culture, a change that supersedes previous individual ratings at that level. This revised approach, which underwent public consultation and incorporated feedback, is designed to ensure the "well-led" key question remains pertinent in the context of evolving, integrated, and complex models of care within the NHS.

The CQC's deputy director of mental health in the north, Craig Howarth, affirmed that while leaders were informed of the necessary improvements, the regulatory body will maintain close oversight to ensure these changes are effectively implemented. This CQC requires improvement rating serves as a critical indicator for the NHS mental health trust compliance landscape, signaling that robust governance and proactive risk management are paramount. The ongoing monitoring by the CQC highlights the continuous expectation for trusts to not only identify but also swiftly and effectively resolve systemic issues to uphold patient safety and service quality.

Lawyers advising healthcare providers, particularly NHS Trusts, should note the CQC's continued focus on leadership and governance, as evidenced by this 'requires improvement' rating. Compliance officers within trusts should review their risk management, fire safety, safeguarding, and out-of-area placement protocols to ensure they meet CQC standards and avoid similar regulatory findings, which could lead to further enforcement action or reputational damage.

Source: Original reporting via CQC press release