Six trusts that have been in special measures over the past year are among the 30 set to be named as having a poor culture of reporting patient safety incidents by the health secretary later today, HSJ understands.

HSJ has analysed the Care Quality Commission data on patient safety reporting, which is being used to compile the new “open and honest reporting” indicator that went live on NHS Choices patient safety website yesterday.

According to guidance shared with trusts and seen by HSJ, the indicator has five components. Poor performance against any of these will lead to trusts being rated as a cause for concern.

The five components are:

  • potential underreporting of patient safety incidents to the National Reporting and Learning System;
  • potential underreporting of death and severe harm patient safety incidents to the NRLS;
  • proportion of incidents reported to the NRLS that are harmful;
  • NHS Staff survey key factor 15 – fairness and effectiveness of incident reporting procedures; and
  • organisational commitment to at least monthly reporting to the NRLS.

Trusts will be “red rated” if they are judged to be at a statistically significant “risk” or “elevated risk” on the first four indicators by the CQC or if they have only reported to the NRLS in three or fewer of the last six months.

The full list of trusts which will be flagged under this methodology is shown below, along with their reason for being highlighted.

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust were all poor performers on two indicators.

The data is based on the CQC’s Intelligent Monitoring report for March and a number of trusts have told HSJ there position has changed under the latest data which was shared with trusts by the regulator for the first time yesterday.

HSJ understands trusts were only informed of their ratings yesterday and were told there would not be an opportunity to challenge the data before publication.

Chief executive of Brighton and Sussex Hospitals Trust Matthew Kershaw said an uploading error that led to only three quarters of incidents being reported to the NRLS during the period in question accounted for the trust’s apparent under reporting.

He added: “Open and honest reporting is crucial. We have had some definitional issues which we have now addressed.”

Special measures in the past year Trust name Indicator description
yes Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust Propotion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
y Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
no Bolton Foundation Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents resulting in death or severe harm    
y Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
y Burton Hospitals Foundation Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents resulting in death or severe harm    
n City Hospitals Sunderland Foundation Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n Croydon Health Services Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals Foundation Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
y East Lancashire Hospitals Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents resulting in death or severe harm    
n East Sussex Healthcare Trust NHS Staff Survey – fairness and effectiveness of incident reporting procedures    
n Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
n Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
y North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust NHS Staff Survey – fairness and effectiveness of incident reporting procedures    
n North West London Hospitals Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
n Northern Devon Healthcare Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust NHS Staff Survey – fairness and effectiveness of incident reporting procedures    
n Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
n Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases Foundation Trust Consistency of reporting to the NRLS    
n Royal United Hospital Bath Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
n Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
n Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust NHS Staff Survey – fairness and effectiveness of incident reporting procedures    
n St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents resulting in death or severe harm    
n The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust NHS Staff Survey – fairness and effectiveness of incident reporting procedures    
n The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust Proportion of reported patient safety incidents that are harmful    
n The Rotherham Foundation Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents resulting in death or severe harm    
y United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust NHS Staff Survey – fairness and effectiveness of incident reporting procedures    
n West Middlesex University Hospital Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
n Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Foundation Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents    
n Yeovil District Hospital Foundation Trust Potential underreporting of patient safety incidents resulting in death or severe harm    

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Revealed: the trusts set to be highlighted for reporting concerns