Interdepartmental hostility undermines patient care and demoralises staff

The tribalism and toxicity in maternity care reported by Wilkinson is all too familiar for many healthcare professionals and, as pointed out by Kirkup, is not isolated to a handful of maternity units.1Hostile encounters are a source of a huge amount of distress for newly qualified doctors. To be shamed when asking for help is demoralising and another example of the tribalism described in the report on maternity care in East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.In few other sectors is such interdepartmental hostility tolerated. Junior doctors are frequently the medium through which this hostility is transferred between departments. Fostering a culture of collaboration is one way in which we will improve the working lives of all healthcare staff, and subsequently improve the standard of compassionate care that patients receive.
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