Hospital criticised over “appalling standards of care”

18 Mar 2009

The Healthcare Commission has criticised the standards of care at Staffordshire General Hospital.

The health watchdog said that from 2005 to 2008, around 400 more people died at the hospital than would be expected.

In their report, the Commission said there were deficiencies at “virtually every stage” in the care of emergency patients. They added that managers focused on targets at the detriment of patient care.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said a review into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2002 and 2007 would be carried out.

The chairman and chief executive of the trust both resigned in March 2009.

The Healthcare Commission said that it was impossible to blame all 400 extra deaths on the standards of care at the hospital, but concluded that some patients would have died as a result.

Sir Ian Kennedy, Healthcare Commission chairman, said: “This is a story of appalling standards of care and chaotic systems for looking after patients.

There is no doubt that patients will have suffered and some of them will have died as a result.”

The report highlighted low staffing levels, inadequate nursing, lack of equipment, lack of leadership, poor training and ineffective systems for identifying when things went wrong.

Recent inspections found that the trust had improved but the Commission said they would continue to monitor standards.

Guy Forster, a clinical negligence solicitor at Patientlawyers.com, said: "Sadly we act for many patients and their families who have been affected by the poor standards of care exposed at this hospital. It is alarming that these serious and deep-rooted failures have been allowed to continue over such a long period. Not only is an urgent review of services at this Trust required but the way in which standards in all of our Trusts are monitored must also be re-examined."

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