Updated: MP calls on Basildon Hospital bosses to quit (From Echo)

Updated: MP calls on Basildon Hospital bosses to quit

7:50am Tuesday 1st December 2009

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MP Andrew Mackinlay has joined the growing list of people calling for Basildon Hospital chiefs to resign.

Speaking in the House of Commons the Labour MP for Thurrock said it was “incredible” Alan Whittle, chief executive of the hospital trust, had not stepped down in the wake of the scandal over filthy conditions.

Mr Mackinlay called for health trust regulator Monitor to launch an investigation into how the situation got so bad.

Mr Mackinlay spoke during a House of Commons debate yesterday, where a number of MPs questioned the trust and actions being taken to remedy the problems.

He said: “There’s a question of public confidence in Basildon and Thurrock, and Monitor needs to address this.

“It’s not sustainable the people who had been found by Monitor to be in such a significant breach should be there this afternoon.

“It’s incredible the chief executive has not decided to step down.”

Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for health, said: “In this case the judgment of Monitor is there needed to be action, but standards were likely to improve more quickly by keeping to the action plan developed by the trust.”

Southend West MP David Amess asked what action the Government would take if Southend Hospital was to see a huge influx of patients.

He said: “If it’s now the case patients are going to be transferred from Basildon to Southend, what assistance will the Secretary of State give to Southend?”

Mr Burnham replied: “If more patients choose to use Southend that is their choice and Southend will be paid accordingly.”

Billericay Tory MP John Baron said he had spoken to the hospital trust’s management, who had said hygiene improvements had been made following an unannounced inspection in October.

But he asked Mr Burnham: “How quickly will the health secretary be able to report back on the progress and success of Monitor’s intervention, both for the sake of patients and the many people working in Basildon Hospital who do excellent work?”

Mr Burnham said he would keep Mr Baron informed.

MPs were also concerned about salaries after it was revealed trust chief executive Alan Whittle earns £150,000 a year, and trust chairman Michael Large earns £45,000 for his part time advisory role. Mr Burnham said the Government had written to health trusts, to tell them to keep pay in line with public sector groups.

BOSSES SAY THEY WILL NOT RESIGN

TWO bosses at Basildon Hospital have defied calls to resign in the wake of the scandal over care standards.

Despite pressure from unions and patients, the chief executive and chairman of the hospital trust will not step down.

A damning report from the Care Quality Commission highlighted a string of failures at the hospital, including blood-spattered equipment, filthy mattresses and dirty toilets.

Hospital regulator Monitor has now ordered a task force to be sent in to drive up standards at the hospital.

During an emergency press conference Alan Whittle, chief executive of Basildon and Thurrock Hospital Trust, and Michael Large, the trust’s chairman, refused to bow to public criticism and will continue in their posts.

Mr Whittle defended the hospital’s reputation and said the trust would work with a team of advisers to improve.

He added: “If I genuinely believed the quality of care is as poor as some of the detractors suggest it is, then of course I would consider my position.

“I see the dedication and the quality of the care that’s provided in this hospital all day, every day.

“My e-mail system is logged with expressions of support.”

A spokesman for Monitor has said there are concerns about the speed of improvements at the hospital.

This is despite the hospital being rated “good” last month, following a planned inspection. The filthy conditions were highlighted following an unplanned inspection on October 8.

HIT SQUAD BEING SENT IN TO BASILDON HOSPITAL

A TASK force is being sent into Basildon Hospital after inspectors found blood-splattered equipment and an unusually high death rate among patients.

Inspectors for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published a report earlier this month raising concerns about Basildon Hospital.

Now, the commission has asked the regulator of foundation trusts, Monitor, to take action after a body of evidence showed the need for intervention.

Inspectors from the CQC found blood stains on floors and curtains, blood splattered on trays used to carry equipment and badly soiled mattresses in the A&E department with stains soaked through.

Inspectors also found equipment being used repeatedly that should only be used once and resuscitation room equipment that was past its use-by date.

Other items found at the trust included blood pressure cuffs stained with blood, suction machines contaminated with fluid inside and out and apparent mould.

Commission chief executive CQC Cynthia Bower said: "Swift action is needed at Basildon to nip problems in the bud. "Our work has uncovered serious failings.

"The trust has high mortality rates for emergency admissions and we have found evidence of significant problems in different parts of the organisation.

"The trust has taken our concerns seriously but improvements are simply not happening fast enough.

"Our confidence in the management's ability to deliver on commitments and to turn the situation around has been severely dented."

An expert taskforce will be sent into the trust to bring about improvements in patient care.

Dr William Moyes, chairman of Monitor which regulates foundation hospitals, said: "We will be reviewing the trust's performance regularly and in detail - if we don't see measurable results quickly, we'll take further action."

HOSPITAL RESPONDS

Trust chairman Michael Large said it was "extremely serious" that Monitor had found it in breach of its terms of authorisation as a foundation trust.

"We understand that Monitor needs to assure itself and the public that the concerns that have led them to this intervention are not indicative of wider problems. I am confident they are not," he said.

Independent reviews of the care provided to patients carried out found nothing pointing to a fundamental problem with clinical care.

"But we are not complacent and this further scrutiny of our leadership and governance processes is another opportunity for us to prove ourselves."

A trust spokeswoman said 30 new trolley mattresses were ordered on the day of the inspection which arrived the following day.

The spokeswoman said all clinical equipment had been checked and cleaned where necessary and more stringent monitoring had been introduced but, where possible, the trust was changing to disposable items.

An action plan has been agreed with the cleaning contractor which includes extra cleaning staff and replacement of all curtains.

The A&E department, the focus of much of the CQC's concern, is to undergo the second phase of a £22 million expansion and refit and a temporary children's A&E area opened within the existing department today.

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Your Say YourEcho

hellsapoppin, basildon says...
6:59pm Thu 26 Nov 09

Tell us something we don't know. If i was elderly i'd rather die in the street than spend any length of time in that cesspit.My mum spent 3 months in there 3 years ago, caught a bug and died. Visiting her everyday for 3 months gave me a pretty good idea of what goes on there.