17.07.13
Keogh review must not be used as ‘political ammunition’
The NHS has recognised the importance of the Sir Bruce Keogh review into trusts with higher than expected mortality rates, but there have been warnings against MPs using it in a game of ‘political point-scoring’ around blame and responsibility.
The bad-tempered arguments in Parliament yesterday between the Conservatives and Labour over the review should not distract from the core mission to improve services for patients, commentators have said.
The Royal College of Midwives stated: “The Government should be acting on its recommendations so that all patients no matter what they are going into hospital for can expect and receive the best possible care and outcomes.
“Like the Francis Report this is a reminder of why we all need to work hard to make the NHS as good as it can be, because failing to do this can have terrible consequences.
“The RCM urges politicians not to use this report as political ammunition, but as a wake-up-call to work together for the benefit of the patients the NHS is there to care for.”
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the General Medical Council, said: “The NHS provides good and sometimes excellent care every day to thousands of patients. But this report once again makes clear that patients and their families are not always receiving the care and treatment they deserve.
“Getting this right will require cultural change and central to that is giving professional staff the confidence to speak up and become more engaged in the running of the places in which they work. The report rightly says doctors in training should be seen not just as the clinical leaders of tomorrow but as the leaders of today and powerful agents of change.
“Our guidance is clear that doctors must make patients their first concern and as this report demonstrates that means being able to raise concerns as well as listening to patients’ views and experience. That is the heart of professionalism and it must be the way forward for hospitals and other health care organisations.
“The report also underlines that we have moved into a much more transparent age when data and information about the quality of care will be in the public domain. The challenge for all of us is to embrace this new world and work hard to analyse and better understand what it means.
“The organisations involved in the review process have welcomed the chance to focus the attention of the local health economy on what they can do immediately to improve the safe care of patients.”
NHS Confederation chief operating officer Matt Tee said: “It is absolutely crucial that we share the learning from these intensive reviews across the whole health service.
“The commitment to driving up clinical standards runs throughout the health service, but individual organisations will not always have all the answers, expertise or capacity to deliver the essential changes at the pace required. While we should never be prepared to outsource responsibility for improving patient care, we need to recognise that additional help and support for trusts in difficulty can make the journey faster.
“Less than six months after publication of the Francis Report, we are experiencing another hugely challenging day for the NHS. Now more than ever, the NHS needs politicians to resist the temptation to descend into point scoring. It is crucial that we seize the opportunity offered by the Keogh Review to get under the skin of the NHS and shine light on its shortcomings but also recognises its successes.
“We know each of the NHS trusts has undergone a rigorous examination of its processes and practices as part of this Review and has identified an action plan for improvement. It is clear that clinicians and managers at these trusts will now need to be fully focused on delivering the agreed action plans.
“This review process is one part of a renewed commitment not only to ruthlessly examine and improve clinical performance, but to be wholly open and transparent about where we are now, where we need to be, and what progress we are making to get there.”
Dean Royles, chief executive of the NHS Employers organisation, said: “This has been a much anticipated report and many in the NHS will want to learn from it to help provide the high quality care to which we all aspire. Staff and their managers will be particularly mindful of patients’ anxiety at this time and doing all they can to reassure them about their care plans.
“We know that safe staffing levels are an essential element of care and we will work closely with the Government as they work through and respond to the recommendations of this report.
“The report clearly highlights the importance of mortality indicators and how we can use them as a catalyst for change. Mortality indicators are expressed in statistical language and we need to remember that, beyond these numbers, there are tragic personal stories but also many successes.
“In addition to exploring those trusts that have fallen below expected mortality levels, it is vital to look at those organisations whose outcomes were better than forecast. We can also learn from their culture, leadership, staffing and how they engage employees as a further opportunity to share and spread what works best for patient care.”
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