East Sussex healthcare NHS trust has been formally placed into special measures after a critical report by the Care Quality Commission earlier this week.

The trust, which runs Eastbourne district general hospital and the Conquest hospital in Hastings, as well as community services across East Sussex, will receive a range of support after the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) accepted the CQC’s recommendations on Friday.

In its report, the CQC rated the trust’s services as good for care, but inadequate overall. It said its inspectors found that staff were afraid to speak out and there was a void between the board perception and reality of working at the trust.

The CQC had previously inspected the trust in September 2014, when both Conquest hospital and Eastbourne district general hospital were rated inadequate.

A team of CQC inspectors followed this up with a further unannounced inspection in March 2015 to check on progress in the main areas of concern – maternity services, outpatient and diagnostic imaging services, surgery and accident and emergency care.

Prof Sir Mike Richards, the chief inspector of hospitals, said he was disappointed with the trust’s lack of progress on “significant issues in the underlying culture, which have been all too apparent for some time”.

He said: “While I recognise that the trust has been working over the last few months to make further improvements I am chiefly concerned at the rate of progress since our inspection last year. The continuing disconnect between the trust board and staff is worrying, and I am sure lies behind the continuing poor performance.”

As part of the support available to the trust under the special measures regime, the TDA has appointed an Improvement Director who will help identify where the trust will most require assistance in the coming months. It will also appoint a high performing “buddy” organisation from within the NHS which can advise on areas of improvement. All progress will be closely scrutinised.

TDA director Anne Eden said: “The trust has already begun its quality improvement journey. However it will require significant support from us and engagement from other partners in East Sussex if they are to meet this challenge and reach a position where they are consistently providing high quality services to every patient.

“We have a track record of supporting NHS trusts in the special measures regime to improve the care and treatment they provide to patients and are confident that with the right package of support in place, this can be achieved in East Sussex as well.”

This week, Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge, one of the NHS’s biggest and most prestigious hospitals, was also put into special measures after inspectors said failings including serious staff shortages were putting patients’ safety at risk.