Blackpool report: why do England’s deprived areas have the most troubled hospitals?

Clinicians in deprived areas are overwhelmed by generational ill health and povertyLeaked report shows culture of bullying at NHS hospitalThe findings of the report into Blackpool Victoria hospital are as shocking as they are damning: a culture of bullying, racial discrimination and harassment that has contributed to a staff exodus with a direct impact on patients. The treatment of chronic disease, including Parkinson’s, were just some of the areas blighted by what appears to be a toxic culture.But the Royal College of Physicians report, leaked to the Guardian, exposes much broader challenges for the NHS – and particularly for hospitals in the most deprived corners of Britain. Continue reading...