Patients ‘put at risk’ at one of UK’s biggest NHS trusts

Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, which runs Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Rosie Birth Centre, has been placed in special measures after being found ‘inadequate’ by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission.

Concerns were raised during the inspection about delays in outpatient treatment, staffing levels and governance failings, although the quality of care was rated as ‘outstanding’, with inspectors saying that workers at the hospitals were prepared to go the extra mile for patients.

The Care Quality Commission’s chief inspector of hospitals Prof Sir Mike Richards, said that although staff at the hospital were “extremely caring and extremely skilled”, senior management had “lost their grip on some of the basics.”

He went on to say “[Patients] are being put at risk. It is not that we necessarily saw actual unsafe practice, but we did see they would be put at risk if you don’t, for example, have sufficient numbers of midwives for women in labour.”

The trust, who, according to health service regulator Monitor, has an average of £1.2m overspend each week, has since apologised to patients.

Chief Executive of the trust Dr Keith McNeil, who resigned last week over the trust’s financial crisis, said that he felt the CQC’s verdict was wrong.

Dr McNeil said “I absolutely put up my hand to say there are some things that I should have [had a] grip on, but it’s hard for any one person or team to be cognisant of everything that’s going on in a hospital of that complexity at every moment.”

Jane Ramsey, chairwoman of the trust, said “I would like to say sorry to our patients for a lack of effective systems and processes across our trust, which led to the CQC rating our hospitals as inadequate.

“We will take rapid action to address concerns and maintain our record of safety and high-quality care.”

Stuart Tuckwood, spokesman for the Unison public sector union, said “To be told that the hospital is inadequate … is a slap in the face to our members and the healthcare staff that work there.

“The one thing that came out as really outstanding was the care delivered by our members and by all the staff at the hospital, so they can really hold their heads up and say they’ve done a good job under really trying conditions.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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