Hospital review finds widespread bullying

A review into the general surgery department at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) has uncovered widespread issues of bullying, harassment, and discrimination. A substantial number of staff reported experiencing such behaviours in the 12 months preceding the review, commissioned in January 2026 due to staff concerns about departmental culture.

The review summary indicated that women, non-consultant medical staff, and those from ethnic minority backgrounds were disproportionately affected. Anonymous staff described incidents of abuse in meetings and alleged that repeated concerns submitted to the trust over months had gone unaddressed.

Evidence of harmful behaviours, including bullying, harassment, discrimination, and microaggressions, had become normalized. This compromised psychological safety, particularly for staff with less authority, leading to chronic exhaustion and emotional depletion.

Former staff described the culture as unsustainable, with leadership being perceived as unsafe. Concerns were raised that a fear of repercussions influenced clinical decision-making, and some trainees reported being coerced into lodging complaints against colleagues from ethnic minorities.