A report into deaths at an NHS mental health trust was “watered down to spare bosses”, it has been claimed.
An independent review of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) by auditors Grant Thornton was published in June and found the trust had lost track of patient deaths.
Now the trust is being accused of removing criticism of its leadership from the report after draft versions described the trust’s governance as “weak and inadequate”.
The word “governance” was replaced by “controls” in the final version, according to leaked documents seen by the BBC, while another section highlighting “a culture of fear” among staff was removed altogether.
Caroline Aldridge, who lost her son Tim in 2014, has been highlighting what she and others have claimed is an undercounting of deaths.
She said: “We cannot have people watering it [the report] down when it’s about deaths.
“I think people need to know what was removed and what was changed because I suspect that the first report is a lot nearer to the truth,” she told the BBC. “It takes all responsibility from governance.”
‘Fact-checking’ the reason for report changes
NSFT and Grant Thornton said changes had been made as a result of fact-checking.
Stuart Richardson, the chief executive of NSFT, said: “We responded to requests from the auditors to check the factual accuracy of their early draft report and to provide further information. This is a standard process to make sure that such reports are evidence-based.”
A Grant Thornton spokesman said: “It is standard practice to share an initial draft of a report to ensure it is a fair and accurate reflection of the processes reviewed.
“After the initial draft the engagement team at the trust changed, who then provided further information around controls and internal processes of which we were previously unaware.”
The report revealed that the trust did not know how many of the 11,000 deaths of people in contact with the trust in the last five years were avoidable, with internal figures failing to tally with board papers.
Country’s worst-performing mental health trust
The review was commissioned after the Care Quality Commission warned the trust it must improve in 2022 when more than 100 patients died unexpectedly over a two-year period.
It was downgraded to inadequate and labelled as the country’s worst-performing mental health trust.
Clive Lewis, the Norwich South Labour MP, has been a vocal critic and last year cited mental health campaigner claims that there had been “1,000 avoidable deaths” – a figure not recognised by the trust.
Mr Richardson said: “We have been open and honest about the failings highlighted in this report, and are committed to bringing about the improvements that our service users and staff deserve.”
