NHS hit by new hospital deaths cover-up on day Man With No Shame faces showdown meeting
Jonksy
- Sir David Nicholson will meet directors from the NHS Commissioning Board
- Relatives of patients who died at Mid Staffordshire will stage a silent protest
- The Bolton Foundation Trust had one of the highest mortality rates
- It is feared more than 2,000 patients may have died unnecessarily at the trust since 2001
By Sophie Borland and Paul Bentley
Man with no shame: Sir David Nicholson will meet senior directors from the NHS Commissioning Board
NHS hospitals last night stood accused of fiddling figures to mask the numbers of patients dying needlessly.
The boss of one trust has been forced aside and experts called in to investigate a possible cover-up over death rates.
And
Professor Brian Jarman, a renowned specialist on hospital performance,
believes several other hospitals may be doing the same.
The revelations came as the chief executive of the NHS, Sir David Nicholson, prepared to meet senior bosses from the new body in charge of hospitals and health services for the first time since the Mid Staffordshire scandal report.
The Bolton Foundation Trust – the focus of the latest allegations – had had one of the highest mortality rates in the country.
But in 2011, the figures suddenly dropped by 10 per cent and the trust was named as one of only about 50 in the country with ‘lower than expected’ death rates.
The fall was
initially celebrated as evidence of improving performance but there are
now concerns it was merely a statistical trick.
In fact, it is feared that since 2001, an estimated 2,000-plus patients may have died unnecessarily at the trust.
Yesterday it emerged that Dr Jackie Bene, the chief executive, has ‘stepped aside’ while a joint investigation is carried out by mortality experts and the local NHS body.
The NHS’s medical director, Professor Bruce Keogh, said: ‘It is absolutely unacceptable for any part of the NHS to deliberately manipulate any patient information.
‘If we’re to have an open and accountable NHS, where patients and the public know how NHS hospitals are doing, those hospitals must behave openly and honestly about their performance.’
Yesterday the House of Commons heard claims that previous official reports into NHS care had been suppressed because they revealed a ‘pervasive culture of fear’.
This came as the chairman of the inquiry into the Mid Staffordshire scandal called for an immediate ‘culture change’ in the NHS.
The
probe at Bolton Foundation Trust will consider whether staff
categorised patients as dying from septicaemia – blood poisoning – when
they actually died of more easily-treatable conditions
Mortality rates are meant to reflect the standard of care in a hospital.
As such, deaths from serious illnesses such as septicaemia and cancer do not influence figures as much as preventable deaths from hip fractures and infections.
Scandal: Professor Brian Jarman (left) believes
that within the last five years other hospitals have lowered their
mortality rates by wrongly labelling deaths. Dr Jackie Bene (right) who
has stepped aside
There is concern that preventable
deaths from hip fractures or urine infections were intentionally
labelled as septicaemia to lower the mortality rate.
Over the last year there have been 800 cases of septicaemia when there should only have been 200 in a trust this size.
Professor Jarman believes that within the last five years other hospitals have lowered their mortality rates by wrongly labelling deaths.
They include Medway in Kent and George Eliot, Mid Staffordshire and Walsall in the West Midlands where mortality rates have been slashed by up to quarter in a single year.
Investigation: The probe at Bolton Foundation Trust will consider whether staff categorised patients as dying from blood poisoning when they actually died of more easily treatable conditions
He said: ‘I can’t prove it because the hospitals are denying it. They keep saying it’s a coincidence.’ But he added: ‘The whole thing is appalling.’
The investigation at Bolton will go back through the records of 200 patients who died from septicaemia or were diagnosed with the condition. But experts have already looked into 50 cases and say there is ‘sufficient cause for concern.’
Today,
for the first time since the Mid Staffordshire report, Sir David
Nicholson will meet senior directors from the NHS Commissioning Board –
the new body in charge of hospitals and health services.
Relatives of patients who died at Mid Staffordshire will stage a silent protest outside the meeting in Manchester to reinforce pressure on him to resign.
A spokesman for
Bolton Foundation Trust said: ‘We do not believe there are any clinical
concerns regarding the care of patients, but rather there are questions
that need answering about how the trust reports information about their
care for administrative and financial purposes.’
Affa
Why does Dave love this man?
The Conservatives hate spendng money on pensioners, would prefer it if they all
just packed up and left. Helping them to the exit door as this man is alledged to have
done has earned him praise and a good salary ......... and I have tried to be fair, to be considerate.
Jonksy
NHS Tories' hidden privatisation plan revealed..
Every part of the National Health Service is being put out to tender by private firms.
The massive step towards full privatisation of the NHS is being made in regulations neaked out earlier this month – exposed by the Daily Mirror today.
The new rules impose “compulsory competitive markets” on the entire health service.
The changes are planned under the overhaul launched by Tory former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. He claimed there was nothing in it to “promote or permit the transfer of NHS activities to the private sector”.
But now all services are to be offered to the highest bidder from April 1.
The move would allow “any qualified provider” including giants such as Virgin Care to outbid local hospitals.
Critics fear the rules will let companies asset-strip NHS facilities. Labour have warned firms could cherry-pick the easiest, most profitable, procedures, leaving the NHS to pick up the tab for tricky and expensive surgery.
The Government says it has only put services out for “competition on quality, not price”. MPs have until March 31 to overturn the planned rules.
Jamie Reed, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, condemned PM David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg over the change. He said: “These new rules put private companies and the money motive at the heart of our NHS. Labour will vigorously oppose them – they go even further than we feared last year when the Government’s destructive NHS re-organisation struggled through Parliament. Ministers concealed their true intentions.
“People will not forgive David Cameron and Nick Clegg for selling off the NHS to the highest bidder.”
The regulations are part of the Health and Social Care Act which also lets hospitals treat as many private patients as NHS ones. Mr Lansley had insisted the NHS was “not for sale”, adding: “There will be no privatisation.”
But Dr Clive Peedell, who set up the National Health Action Party to protect the NHS said: “We and many others have warned from the beginning that the Tory agenda behind Lansley’s Bill was privatisation, and transforming the NHS from our greatest public service into a competitive market.
“The Tories have clearly lied even to their coalition partners to get their Bill through and are now determined to sneak through the finishing touches that would kill off our NHS. They must be stopped.”
jaria
I've had a couple of guesses one was that the man won't resign as he knows if he's sacked he will get a lot more in compensation. The other was he might know where some skeletons are hidden
ewill
etc
Affa
On Thursday, February 28, 2013 11:17:17 AM UTC, ewill wrote:
<<The other was he might know where some skeletons are hidden >>
I've always held that view about Fergie still sharing Andrew's house
etc
Fergie can be fun to have around when there's not much on TV, and having the kids around when growing up did matter.
jaria
ewill
regularly!!
ewill
Apparently , they were skiing last week/this week (?) along with
Harry and his girlfriend and others
Affa
On Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:08:15 PM UTC, ewill wrote:
I heard quite a few from an ex hotel manager of somewhere he stays
regularly!!
Jar I think refers to ......... Jeffrey Epstein