HOSPITAL leaders failed to respond correctly after two doctors raised serious patient safety concerns, a report has concluded.

Two doctors claimed they were treated detrimentally after raising concerns about trauma and orthopaedic care at hospitals in Morecambe Bay.

An independent report examining their treatment has now been published.

Investigators found the doctors were not treated as whistleblowers by hospital leaders, while trust policies on raising concerns were not properly followed.

A summary of the report presented the trust's board of directors said: "The investigators have found evidence that the Trust, including the Medical Leaders being complained about who are at the heart of the concerns raised, did not recognise and treat them as whistle-blowers.

"They did not recognise that concerns were raised in line with their rights under the Freedom to Speak up or claimed to recognise this but did not follow the relevant policy.

"Due to this, the Investigators have found that there has been a breach of the Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up – Raising Concerns Policy.

"In relation to raising concerns now, the evidence provided suggests that there is increased confidence in raising concerns within the Trust, compared to the time when these concerns were first raised."

The report added: "Although the investigators have identified a number of shortcomings in the way matters were addressed it is important to state that we did not find any evidence of either a cover-up or collusion in respect of the way medical leaders responded to the concerns that were raised with them."

The Royal College of Surgeons looked into trust’s Trauma and Orthopaedics services, examining 43 patients’ records following concerns about patient care.

It agreed with concerns raised on 26 of the 43 cases examined, including on skills and training to carry out procedures and continuity of care.

Last year South Lakes MP Tim Farron accused the trust of 'demonising' whistleblowers following publication of the report.

In a statement published alongside the report in board paper, UHMBT bosses said: "We would like to take this opportunity to again formally record the board’s sincere thanks to the colleagues who demonstrated the courage to speak up and raise concerns for the benefits of patients.

"We would also like to put on record our deep regret that the concerns were not addressed as promptly or effectively as they should have been, and we are sincerely sorry for the way our colleagues were treated.

"It takes courage to speak out when others aren’t, and we remain committed to any colleague who raises concerns about standards for our patients or colleagues not being of the highest standard.

"The safety of everyone who uses our community and hospital services remains our priority."