Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust under fire: Death rate grading is highest in country (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust under fire: Death rate grading is highest in country
8:10am Thursday 1st December 2011 in Lancaster news
CENTRE OF ATTENTION: Furness Hospital a
THE University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust has the highest hospital mortality grading in the UK.
New figures released by Dr Foster, the UK’s leading health information company, reveal the Hospital Standardised Mortality Rate at the three hospitals in Lancaster, Barrow and Kendal is the highest in the country.
However, hospital bosses say it is not because standards are slipping but blame how mortality data is recorded.
The healthcare report released by Dr Foster graded the trust’s Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) as 124. Anything above 100 is usually a cause for concern.
The HSMR score is an indicator of healthcare quality which measures if hospital death rates are higher or lower than expected. It is calculated from an initial diagnosis of patients by hospital staff.
Chief executive Tony Halsall said: “Over the last five years we have seen a decrease in deaths at our hospitals, and we believe that the main reason for any increase in our Dr Foster HSMR figure is to do with coding and the recording of mortality data.
“There have been problems in the way some information has been recorded and this has resulted in a significant increase in the Dr Foster figure.
“This has been put right and we expect to see this reflected in improved figures next year. We have asked our doctors to continually review all deaths within the hospitals to ensure appropriate care was given in each case.
“We also undertake clinical audits to identify improvements in clinical care and provide staff with protected time for this.”
Directors added that the group had seen the deaths used to calculate their grading fall from 1,997, four years ago, to 1,634, this year.
It has invited members of the North West Mortality Collab-orative to review their processes in January.
Comments(21)
gadgetgadget
says...
9:00am Thu 1 Dec 11
"We also undertake clinical audits to identify improvements in clinical care and provide staff with PROTECTED time for this."
So PROTECTING time for audits is ok - what about patient care ?
WilliamT
says...
11:04am Thu 1 Dec 11
gadgetgadget
says...
11:22am Thu 1 Dec 11
gadgetgadget
says...
2:02pm Thu 1 Dec 11
What other "LIES" are you referring to ?
chrismc
says...
9:30pm Thu 1 Dec 11
chrismc
says...
9:48pm Thu 1 Dec 11
/news/acute-care/736
1/morecambe-resolves
-booking-problems
Skeptical
says...
8:21am Fri 2 Dec 11
Halsall also refers to the fact that the overall number of deaths has decreased, this is completely misleading as the total number tells you nothing about patient safety. The point of the Dr Foster figures (and other standardised mortality indicators), is that each death is compared with an expected outcome for that particular condition or circumstance. Clearly if one trust specialises in treating very high risk conditions, it is likely that more deaths will occur than in trusts which do not. Standardised mortality indicators factor this in so that trusts can be compared like for like. As William T has pointed out, in mid Staffordshire, the trust used exactly the same excuse to persuade the regulators that there was no underlying problem.
Sadly, the trust have succeeded in mudding the water, they are sending out two conflicting messages, on one hand saying that they are taking the figures seriously and reviewing all deaths, on the other, dismissing the figures as data quality issues which don’t reflect reality. This is an appalling approach but typical of a management who time and time again prove that they can not be trusted.
Staff, patients and families who have lost loved ones, deserve much more than this.
gadgetgadget
says...
11:12am Fri 2 Dec 11
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/health-1598592
2
Especially the following comment from Margaret Hodge, Commons public accounts committee chair :-
"There has been too much focus on box-ticking and not enough on crossing the threshold and assuring the quality of care”
Does that sound familiar UHMBT ?
gadgetgadget
says...
11:19am Fri 2 Dec 11
chrismc wrote:From that link
http://www.ehi.co.uk
/news/acute-care/736
1/morecambe-resolves
-booking-problems
....
"The issue has also delayed the trust’s go-live plans for the emergency module of Lorenzo. It was initially planning to go live in August, but delayed that until the ‘autumn’.
Although the module is ready, the trust has now decided to postpone its launch until the ‘spring’.
“This decision was solely driven by operational reasons, not least the additional pressures within a busy emergency department during the winter months,” it said in a statement."
....
More like they've screwed it up too much to take a chance on implementing now - it's BS speak from IT personnel when they KNOW they've screwed up big time i.e. delay a further installation to fix the existing problems (coz the chances are the installation might escalate the issues). Can't pull the wool over my eyes with that one UHMBT - far too much experience of IT installations, support and problems to get away with that one !!!
So that's potentially emergencies screwed as well then !!
Let's hope that they use the time they've got to do some much needed testing - if not they are just gonna have a real crisis on their hands MUCH bigger than the one they've got now.
WilliamT
says...
12:27pm Fri 2 Dec 11
chrismc
says...
2:05am Sun 4 Dec 11
(Sir Liam Donaldson speaking on 'Health care quality in the new Millennium' at the University of Exeter, 9th May 2002.)
pixie55
says...
8:28pm Sun 4 Dec 11
gadgetgadget
says...
9:23am Mon 5 Dec 11
WilliamT
says...
1:50pm Mon 5 Dec 11
gadgetgadget
says...
3:38pm Mon 5 Dec 11
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/health-1600999
8
basically demonstrates the arrogance of management towards health professionals.
Would now be interesting to hear from some other local GPs.
gadgetgadget
says...
1:30pm Tue 6 Dec 11
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-england-****
bria-16049953
If I wasn't already committed to other things next Monday I'd try to attend that one to see how he ducks and dives again.
WilliamT
says...
2:02pm Tue 6 Dec 11
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-england-****
bria-16049953
Unfortunately, neither of them will be even slightly concerned about this, as the old quote about Geoffrey Howe is applicable: it will be like being savaged by a dead sheep. Since these committees consist of sheep in sheep's clothing, there won't be the need for much ducking and diving. Ordinary lies and misrepresentation should do it.
WilliamT
says...
2:04pm Tue 6 Dec 11
gadgetgadget
says...
2:17pm Tue 6 Dec 11
http://www.cumbriacr
ack.com/2011/12/05/n
e-cumbria-nurses-voi
ce-fears-about-repor
ting-concerns-over-q
uality-of-patient-ca
re/
Whether they are being savaged by a dead sheep or not there is a serious opportunity for democratically elected officials to grill them. I suspect our local MPs are already on the case too.
Given it's an special meeting it's indicative of the seriousness which the Scrutiny committee are taking matters.
I'd love to be on that committee right now coz I wouldn't be grilling them like a dead sheep more like a seething rotweiler ! :)
gadgetgadget
says...
2:30pm Tue 6 Dec 11
gadgetgadget says...
8:55am Thu 1 Dec 11
....
NOT !!
More spin, more excuses - go and think again UHMBT.
And then start looking at what happens when you move services further away and put all your eggs in one basket (RLI or even further afield).
It was bound to happen - and it'll continue to get worse until management wake up.
Note another Doctor is calling for resignations in the paper today !
Oh and slightly off-topic - how much is the Lorenzo appointments system replacement gonna cost ? It's briefly mentioned in today's WG but WG seemingly didn't press for a figure - why not ?