Higher than average mortality rates at Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Stoke Mandeville Hospital, are to be investigated following the Mid-Staffordshire scandal.
The trust was one of nine organisations named today (Monday) by NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh as part of a review into patient care.
Sir Bruce last week named five trusts that would be looked at. The nine added to that list today have been ‘outliers’ for two years on the hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR).
Lynne Swiatczak, the trust’s chief nurse and patient care standards director, said: “Our regular detailed reviews of patient case notes and mortality data has not identified any areas of concern with patient care, but our task force and trust board continues to look in-depth at this issue.
“As a provider of a wide range of services including acute care, five community hospitals, and a hospice, we have also been working with independent experts to understand how this may impact on our HSMR.
“We welcome the approach being taken by Sir Bruce’s review, in particular the additional support and assurance it will provide to, and build upon, our own work. We will ensure this review is given our full support.”
The trust has recorded higher than average death ratios in the past two years and is trying to understand why. It said: “Action plans have been put in place and we have seen an improvement in our mortality indicators year-on-year as a result. This has included our doctors reviewing deceased patient notes on a monthly basis and the establishment of a mortality task force, which looks at patient care, the patient experience and clinical coding.”
Sir Bruce said the hospitals being looked at are already working with regulators.
He said: “If there were concerns that services were unsafe the regulators should have intervened.
“The purpose of my investigation is to assure patients, public and Parliament that these hospitals understand why they have a high mortality and have all the support they need to improve. This will be a thorough and rigorous process, involving patients, clinicians, regulators and local organisations.”
The other trusts named today as part of the review were North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Medway NHS Foundation Trust and Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Last week Sir Bruce said Colchester Hospital University Foundation Trust, Tameside Hospital Foundation Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust and East Lancashire Hospitals Trust had been outliers for two years on the summary hospital-level mortality indicator and would be investigated.
The timescale and terms of reference for the investigation will be announced soon.