Fresh probe into Morecambe Bay health trust (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Fresh probe into Morecambe Bay health trust

4:40pm Tuesday 17th January 2012 in News By Kate Proctor , Reporter

The Care Quality Commission has launched an inquiry into emergency care services at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

This is only the fourth time in the commission's history that it has launched an investigation on this scale.

The probe follows an unannounced visit to Royal Lancaster Infirmary's critical care department in December.

The move follows a catalogue of failures at the Trust including maternity deaths at Furness General Hospital, a follow-up appointment debacle and delays in emergency treatment at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

The investigation will involve speaking to patients, relatives and frontline staff and observing care delivered at the RLI and Furness Hospital. It will also involve gathering evidence through examination of records, speaking with internal and external stakeholders and requesting written statements.

Tony Halsall, chief executive, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust is dealing with a number of important issues at the moment, so it is not surprising that we are coming under additional scrutiny. We hope this investigation will help to reassure anyone with concerns about emergency services in our hospitals.

“This is a particularly busy time of year for our Emergency Departments and our staff work hard to ensure delays are kept to a minimum.

"After a recent visit to the Emergency Department at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing said he believed the standard of nursing in the department is very good despite the challenges facing the Trust.

“Nevertheless, patients do sometimes have to wait longer than we would like. There have been particular pressures at the RLI and we are currently investing £1.5 million in the extension and refurbishment of the Emergency Department. This will put us in a stronger position to deliver emergency and urgent care services and reduce waiting times for patients.

“We are also working with other parts of the NHS to alleviate the pressure on the Emergency Department.

“Any recommendations made by the CQC, as a result of its investigation, will also be implemented to ensure patients can have further confidence in these services in the longer term.”

MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron said: “Patients across the South Lakes, North Lancashire and North Yorkshire will be rightly concerned that yet another review has been launched into the Morecambe Bay trust.

"The doctors, nurses and staff at the trust are fantastic and work really hard, but they too must be under incredible pressure as these reviews increase in number.

“I’ll be asking the health secretary to take a personal interest in the trust, and bring all of the reviews together under one roof so that we can get a true picture of what is actually going on in our hospitals across the board.

It’s all well and good to have all these different reviews, but both the regulators and health bosses will start to lose the overall picture if we’re not careful – and that’s a one way ticket to a Mid Staffordshire-style crisis.”