[Location: Kent] Mental health trust boss apologises as staff ‘fear reprisal’ over raising issues
Kent Online 2026-10-07 23:01:00
Context: The Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, which provides services to approximately 2,000 adults per year in hospital and 54,000 in community settings, has been found to have significant governance concerns by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Inspectors raised concerns that staff had limited confidence in leaders to act on raised issues, and some staff even feared reprisal for speaking up. The trust's chief executive, Sheila Stenson, has apologized for the issues identified and committed to making improvements.
Key Facts
- The CQC found that the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust was in breach of a regulation relating to "good governance" and had "significant concerns" about its governance processes.
- Staff reported limited confidence that leaders would consistently act upon concerns raised, with 26% of all speak up cases citing fear of reprisal as their main reason for using the Freedom To Speak Up Guardian process.
- The trust provides services to approximately 2,000 adults per year in hospital and 54,000 in community settings, and was rated as having weaknesses in its approach to risk management.
- The trust's chief executive, Sheila Stenson, has accepted that there were areas where its performance and the experience of those who use its services "were not where they needed to be" and has committed to making improvements.