Stern message to hospital trust

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has been given a stern warning that things need to improve, and “to focus on the basics”.

On Monday (December 16), the Trust provided an update to the Joint Overview and Scutiny Committee regarding the work being undertaken to address the ‘must’ and should do’s’ highlighted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May, and  the Channel 4 Dispatches programme which aired the following month.

The latter showed footage of patients wating in A& for up 46 hours, and “undignified treatment” of patients in corridors. SaTH apologised to those affected in the programme, adding that “we must uphold the highest standards of care, and we recognise that some of the conditions displayed in the programme did not meet these standards.”

Meanwhile, even though the CQC recognised improvements had been made at the county’s emergency’s hospitals, it said more work needs to be done.

Since receiving its report, and the fall-out from the Dispatches programme, SaTH has been working on making improvements.

“We don’t want anyone to be under any illusions – we know what needs to be done, and it needs to be done at pace,” said Jo Williams, chief executive of SaTH.

“We need to make sure start building confidence with the public, and are not complacent about the changes that need to take place.”

Paula Gardner, who has just taken over as interim chief nursing officer, added that many of the must and should-do actions have taken place. This includes seeing a reduction in medicine from 48 actions to 22.

“I did come with some pre-conceived ideas about what Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals had been through,” said Ms Gardner.

“I did think heads would be down, but the staff have been engaging, delivering highly compassionate care which I have seen myself, both in ED (emergency department) and maternity.

“What I see here is the amount of work that has gone in and what they get to get assurance internally, is massive.”

However, Councillor Derek White, who represents the Madeley and Sutton Hill wards at Telford & Wrekin Council, said it’s not about getting an ‘excellent’ grading, it’s about treating people.

“The reality is, we’ve been sat here for years watching our hostpital being grounded,” said Cllr White.

“We’ve been so frustrated because we’ve been given this rosey picture every time. ‘Oh yes, we’re doing this’ but it never, ever seems to come to fruition.

“I know you’ve got a new team, but we’ve had four other chief executives. We won’t be judging you until in about three or four months’ time, but the reality is – it’s not about getting ‘excellent’, it’s about just being able to treat people.

“The hospital has failed miserably. There are still areas that need improvement. We shouldn’t be having ambulances outside our emergency department, we shouldn’t have 36 hour waiting times.

“We’ve got to introduce a damn sight more new technology because at the moment, your nurses have work coming out of their ears.

“We have spent so much time on buildings and new places – we’ve got to do the basics, and that’s to ensure our patients are well.”