Trust’s surge space death sparks CQC concerns
Vulnerable patients at a struggling A&E died or needed intensive care after their needs “were not met” while being cared for in surge spaces and waiting areas, inspectors have warned after an unannounced inspection.
Revealed: Dozens of safety probes kept secret by trusts
Trusts are still keeping reports that reveal serious patient safety concerns secret, HSJ has discovered.
Regional director told to ‘rehabilitate’ Letby trust CEO
The senior manager in charge of finding a new role for the chief executive of the trust where Lucy Letby worked has said she was “disappointed” not to be told of the full reasons behind the move.
GP ‘inconsistency’ compounding dangerous A&E crowding, says trust
A review into emergency care deaths at a struggling trust claims a “lack of consistency” in primary care referrals is a major factor causing A&E crowding.
Revealed: the trusts with the worst summer A&E handover delays
Patients stuck in ambulances queuing outside A&Es have waited an average of over two hours at two trusts this summer, data published for the first time reveals.
Lack of supplier ‘competition’ driving up costs of ‘new hospitals’
Supply chain problems have hampered two of the earliest projects being pursued under the New Hospital Programme, HSJ has discovered.
Whole health system’s IT goes down
An ICS is dealing with a “catastrophic” IT failure that is believed to have affected all health providers in the region.
Following the Money: The trusts with the biggest drops in productivity
HSJ’s expert briefing on NHS finances, savings and efforts to get back in the black. By finance correspondent Henry Anderson.
Joint ICB/trust committee given binding powers to improve system’s care quality
An integrated care system has agreed to establish a unique body comprising both commissioners and providers, which will be empowered to make binding decisions affecting the entire health economy.
Seven more avoidable sepsis deaths spark coroner warnings
Preventable deaths of seven people from sepsis – including four children – have prompted coroners to flag major concerns about NHS services’ management of the condition.
IT system which sparked safety alert dropped by 13 trusts
More than a dozen trusts have changed their maternity IT system – or are in the process of doing so – following a national patient safety alert.
Fumes from idling ambulances stuck outside A&Es endangering staff
An ambulance trust is having to protect its staff from the effects of fumes – including potential cancer risk – as they are spending so long in their vehicles outside hospitals.
Trusts’ performance on key recovery target revealed
Ten trusts have just 1 per cent or fewer of their outpatients on “patient initiated follow-up” pathways, against a target of 5 per cent, official data suggests.
CEO admits ‘risk aversion’ clogging up hospitals
Medics and managers must overcome a system-wide “aversion” to risk after their integrated care system was identified as a national outlier for low numbers of patients discharged home, according to the ICS’s chief executive.
Revealed: The ‘unacceptable’ hospital buildings with no investment
Estates chiefs at 19 acute hospitals have classed more than half of their occupied space as “not functionally suitable” and lacking any promise of major investment.
Letby CEO praised by former trust
A review has described the former chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital as “a visible and dedicated leader” in a subsequent leadership job.
More patients ‘now dying in A&E’ finds trust review
Ambulance handover delays and 21-hour waits for a bed in accident and emergency contributed to an increase in harm and mortality at a struggling trust, a review has found.
A&E target set to be raised, despite NHS missing lower bar
NHS England and government are set to raise their target for four-hour A&E performance, despite most hospitals failing to meet the current ask.
Exclusive: NHSE crackdown on 10-hour ambulance delays
NHS England has launched a new crackdown on trusts it says have a ‘management strategy’ to hold patients in the back of ambulances to cope with emergency pressures inside their hospitals, HSJ has learned.
Ambulance handover delays soar as winter bites
Ambulance handover delays rose last week with close to 13,000 crews waiting more than an hour to offload patients — marginally more than the comparable week last year.