MP slates plans for Sherwood Forest Hospitals

An MP has slammed planned interventions at Sherwood Forest Hospitals saying that tougher action needs to be taken to give residents the health care they deserve.
10-2166-3

Kings Mill Hospital.10-2166-3

Kings Mill Hospital.
10-2166-3 Kings Mill Hospital.

Newark and Sherwood MP Mark Spencer said that he wants to see a “complete take-over” of the trust, which runs failing King’s Mill Hospital.

This follows an announcement from health watchdogs the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which has announced the trust has got worse since it was placed in special measures in 2013, and that deaths from blood disease Sepsis are at twice the national average.

Mr Spencer said: “I am losing patience because we have been here before and we need a more radical solution.

“If the hospital can’t sort this mess out themselves then the regulators need to do something more drastic.

“The idea of a partnership is fantastic in theory - but if you were a chief executive of another trust, would you be wanting to take on King’s Mill Hospital, as well as all it’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) debts?”

“It’s like they are constantly fighting with one arm behind their back.

“We need a more aggressive take over - I think somebody needs to come in and completely take over rather than letting them drift allover for the next six months and have another disastrous inspection.

The whole time I have been an MP, we have been saying they are going to fight it. This whole time my constituents have not been getting the level of service they deserve.”

Meanwhile, Mansfield MP Alan Meale thinks the hospitals are already heading in the right direction, but that they need more stability from the bosses.

He said: “The trust has had so many officials and senior staff over the years and we need more stability amongst the management.

“There is a lack of communication on the ground here. It is not a political issue - it is an organisational issue and everybody needs to pull together on this.

“I have been into the hospital since the inspection in June and I am happy with what’s been going off there lately.

“However, I agree that it hasn’t gone far enough just yet.”

Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero said the report made her “extremely concerned”.

She said: “This is simply not good enough.

“I look forward to seeing the plans for improvement being put forward and implemented. Given the trust is now rated inadequate for safety, effectiveness and being well-led, this has to be treated as a priority in order to reassure patients.

“I know that the doctors, nurses and frontline staff work flat out in challenging and difficult circumstance. I regularly hear positive stories from constituents about their own or their loved ones experiences but that is not the case for everyone.

“I want everyone in Ashfield to be receiving the best health care possible.”

Since the inspection, the trust has said it has already made improvements on some of the areas highlighted by the CQC.

This includes a new management of sepsis which meets national standards, spot checks on life-saving equipment and improvements to the infection prevention and control practices.

A spokesman for the trust added that they have overhauled their approach and patients will now have personalised care plans by the end of the year.

He added they have brought experts in to review services and now also have staff with appropriate skills and knowledge to care for children safely at the minor injuries unit.

The Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has welcomed the scrutiny from the health regulators.

Amanda Sullivan, chief officer of Mansfield and Ashfield CCG, said: “We are very disappointed with the lack of progress that has been made. We expect more for our patients and will continue to work with the trust and regulators to bring about further improvements in standards and procedures at the trust.

“It is without doubt that the thousands of staff members working at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are caring and we are pleased that this has been acknowledged in the CQC’s findings.

“Being in special measures for such a lengthy period is not an acceptable situation for local people. We know that our investments and interventions to date, in areas such as mortality, patient safety, discharge and urgent care are resulting in improvements. We will now build on this work and continue to provide support and input as the trust continues to make the necessary improvements.”