The Christie has been downgraded by the health watchdog after concerns were raised about its working culture.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) told The Christie NHS Foundation Trust it 'requires improvement' in safety and leadership. The watchdog launched a review into the prestigious cancer centre following whistleblowing concerns.
While inspectors rated the Withington-based hospital as 'good' overall, they criticised its culture and said staff 'did not always feel listened to'.
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The watchdog found that 'senior executives were heavily invested in the promotion and protection of the trust’s reputation', which 'impacted negatively' on some staff.
The Christie is the largest single site cancer centre in Europe and treats more than 60,000 patients a year. It was rated 'outstanding' at its last two inspections - in 2016 and 2018.
Inspectors visited the hospital in October and November of last year following concerns over the 'culture and senior leadership of the trust'. An NHS England review published last year found the trust had been 'defensive and dismissive' when staff raised concerns about a £20m research project and bullying.
During its recent inspection, the CQC said it found 'outstanding practice' at the trust, praising its research which it said had 'improved outcomes' for cancer patients. However, it said a number of improvements needed to be made.
A report from the visit said: "Very senior executives were heavily invested in the promotion and protection of the trust’s reputation. This impacted negatively on some staff; staff did not always feel supported and valued.
"A minority of staff expressed reservations about raising concerns and others did not always feel listened to."
Inspectors also found that The Christie 'did not always manage medicines well' while staff 'did not always complete and review risk assessments for patients in a timely manner'.
'Equality, diversity and inclusion had not been effectively prioritised within the trust' in recent years, the CQC said.
"Staff, particularly those with particular equality characteristics, did not always feel engaged or supported," inspectors added.
However, The Christie was praised for some aspects of its medical care. Inspectors said 'staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions'.
Staff also provided 'emotional support to patients, families and carers', they added.
The watchdog ruled that 'leaders had the skills, abilities and experience to run the trust', although 'not all board members understood the priorities and issues the trust faced'.
The CQC's northern operations director Ann Ford said: "Although the trust had made some changes to improve the culture, more work needs to be done to address the issues we identified."
Ms Ford thanked staff who came forward with feedback, adding: "I know speaking up in these circumstances isn't easy but it's important it happens."
Ms Ford praised The Christie's "research and innovation to improve outcomes for people with cancer and the trust and everyone involved should be proud of that important work".
Roger Spencer, chief executive of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are pleased that the CQC has rated us good despite the difficulties the NHS has faced over the past few years. Demand for cancer services has continued to rise resulting in us treating more patients than ever before.
“We are working hard to make the improvements that have been highlighted by the CQC, ensuring that all our staff feel supported and valued and I thank all of them for continuing to put patients at the centre of everything we do.”
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