The trust's leadership was rated requires improvement following an inspection in May.

Antoinette Smith, CQC deputy director of hospitals in London, said previous inspections ‘had highlighted issues in maternity, surgery, and urgent and emergency care, but there was limited evidence that leaders had taken timely action to reduce the potential for avoidable harm'.

Smith said leaders had ‘further work to do to address bullying and harassment, particularly for staff with a disability or long‑term condition, and disparities in the workforce had worsened'.

The CQC said recruitment processes to remove bias weren't being consistently followed and Black staff and staff from ethnic minority groups were less likely to be hired and were under-represented at senior management.

On the positive side, the CQC noted ‘a lot of evidence of good work', including active collaboration with partner organisations to develop services for local people and how openly the trust shared information.

People also benefitted from shortened waiting times and a reduced need for them to be admitted to hospital.

Chinyama Okunuga, site chief executive, said: ‘We accept these findings and are taking action to strengthen how we identify and respond to risks, tackle inequalities and make sure every colleague feels supported.'

The trust listed actions being undertaken to address CQC concerns, including:

• strengthening governance, risk escalation and accountability so concerns are identified and acted on more quickly
• appointing new executive and site leaders, improving diversity in senior leadership, launching a Group Inclusion Board and strengthening inclusive recruitment and career development
• securing £57m to redevelop St Helier's emergency department, including a new urgent treatment centre and enhanced same day emergency care, to improve patient privacy, dignity and flow
• introducing a health equity dashboard to better understand and address differences in patient experiences and outcomes
• investing in digital technology, including a new electronic patient record system, while recognising that further training and development are needed.