A LONG-SERVING hospital worker has spoken out against a culture which he says silences staff.

The man, who has worked at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton for more than 20 years, said employees can no longer vent frustrations and concerns anonymously.

Noticeboards designed for patient feedback have also been taken down, he said.

He added: “They’ve taken away the ability for people to be anonymous on the Talkback forum.

“There used to be about 50 comments a month, but virtually none are posted now.

“The noticeboards in communal areas have gradually been taken down on every floor.

“Now these places look sterile and cold.

“They used to be places unions could advertise and patients could leave their comments.

“Services for our patients could also be advertised, such as haircuts and animal therapy.

“These are things which massively benefit patients and make their stay in hospital more bearable.”

A spokeswoman for the hospital said the option to stay anonymous was removed because people were hiding behind screen names and posting abuse.

But the man said: “That is ridiculous, that is what moderators are there for.”

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust employs a “freedom to speak up guardian” called Caroline Owens, who has held the post since January 2017.

It is a national post which aims to “build an open and just culture where staff speaking up is the norm”, according to the trust website.

Neil Hopkins, press officer at the hospital, said: “Staff who have concerns relating to care, patient safety, risks to others or the trust or something which brings the trust into disrepute can raise them with the guardian.

“She supports staff to find their voice and raise their concerns for themselves, however will raise concerns on behalf of staff anonymously where necessary.

“She attends team meetings, gives presentations and training sessions to empower staff to speak up about issues.

“Her details are also freely available throughout the trust through posters, leaflets, on our intranet and through inclusion in our weekly internal staff newsletter.

“In relation to patient feedback, there are resources available throughout the trust to help patients contact us with any praise or concerns that they have. We also work closely with organisations such as Healthwatch East Sussex who act as advocates for patients.”