06.04.17
Lincolnshire trust put back into special measures
An NHS Foundation Trust will be placed back into special measures after NHS Improvement (NHSI) found that there was a need to radically change patient services.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts (NLAG) was taken out of special measures in November 2014, after being one of the initial 11 trusts put into special measures in 2013, but now, two years on, it has been found that standards have not been maintained.
NHE reported in November last year that NLAG had been rated as ‘inadequate’ by the CQC and told to improve – but today’s news reveals that little has been done to address problems since the regulator’s visit.
The CQC’s report fund serious problems with the quality of urgent and emergency care, outpatients and maternity services – recommending that strong leadership was needed to formulate a robust plan of action to take the FT forward.
NLAG encompasses over 350,000 people across North and North East Lincolnshire and East Riding of Yorkshire. Today’s news has been compounded by the FT also being placed into financial special measures last month to ensure that its leaders are running hospitals cost effectively.
Executive regional managing director, NHSI North, Lyn Simpson confirmed that following the CQC’s report and recommendation, it had agreed to place the trust into special measures, and put immediate actions in place to help tackle the challenges raised.
“It’s clear we need to do more to drive forward the necessary improvements for patients, which is why we are introducing an integrated package of support involving the joint efforts of all organisations working in the local health and care system,” she said.
“We will be bringing a group of these organisations together to make sure quick progress is made to improve patient safety, access to services, and to recover the trust’s financial position for the benefit of its patients.”
Dr Kathy Mclean, executive medical director for NHSI, added that the trust was facing a number of challenges at the moment and NHSI absolutely focused on helping it to improve quickly for its patients.
“Our work with the trust will make sure that it has strong plans in place to bring about rapid improvements to patient care,” Dr Mclean concluded. “Coupled with additional leadership support, collaboration in the local area, practical advice and the efforts to improve finances, we hope to help the trust turn things around so it can offer quick, safe and high quality services to patients long into the future.”
At the start of the year the FT’s chief executive, Karen Edwards, left her role to join NHSI for six months in an advisory role on improving emergency care.
Richard Sunley, interim chief executive at NLAG, said he was disappointed with, but fully accepted, the shortfalls the CQC identified.
“We are sorry we have let down our patients, their families and carers by not meeting the quality standards they rightly expect,” he said.
“Whilst we had made some improvements since the inspection in October 2015 – our critical care, end of life care and community services have improved and are now ‘good’ – we recognise we have not addressed all the Care Quality Commission’s concerns.
“We are determined to move forward and make changes with pace and focus so we can consistently deliver high quality standards for patients across all of our services.”
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