Lees Solicitors - Essex NHS Trusts criticised over soaring death rates and poor standards of care - Roneeta Lodh

Clinical Negligence News

Essex NHS Trusts criticised over soaring death rates and poor standards of care - Roneeta Lodh


Essex NHS Trusts criticised over soaring death rates and poor standards of care - Roneeta Lodh

Recently, both Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust and Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust were criticised in two separate reports causing widespread concern and outrage.

On Thursday 26 November, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who are responsible for inspecting all NHS Trusts, released a damning report on Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust setting out the findings of an unannounced inspection carried out on 8 October 2009.

The CQC highlighted a number of areas of concern including:

  • Floors were stained with blood and other fluid spillages.
  • Black dirt had accumulated in the corners of the bay areas.
  • Privacy curtains were soiled, some with blood splatter.
  • 11 out of 12 mattresses checked in the A & E department were stained through to the foam filling.
  • Suction machines were contaminated with fluid inside and out with what looked like mould growing on the equipment.
  • Equipment in the resuscitation room was past its use-by date.
  • Items that should only be used once were still in use.

Ironically, this new report comes only a few weeks after the CQC awarded Basildon 13 out of 14 for "safety and cleanliness" in their annual healthcheck report, which was largely based on a self-assessment form.

In a separate incident on Friday 27 November, Chairman of Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust was sacked. The news followed concerns over high death rates, leadership and waiting times at the Trust raised by Monitor, the body that oversees NHS Foundation Trusts.

Monitor calculated that the death rate at Colchester was approximately 12% higher than expected.

Meanwhile, Monitor also criticised Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust after findings showed that the Trust's death rate was around third higher than the national average.

At Lees Solicitors LLP our clinical negligence team deal with a variety of matters, including substandard care provided in NHS Hospitals. Please contact a member of our team on 0151 647 9381 or 0800 387 927.

Roneeta Lodh


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