Hospital still 'has long way to go'
Health secretary Andy Burnham says Stafford Hospital still has a "long way to go" to regain public confidence, as a new report reveals problems at the facility are far from over.
The Care Quality Commission published initial findings from its ongoing probe into progress at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust as Mr Burnham was announcing an independent inquiry into failings at the trust – and revealed many issues at Weston Road still need to be addressed.
The watchdog has listed several "critical areas", with achieving a full complement of nursing staff, bed management, use of equipment, and improving engagement with service users among the issues it says need urgent attention.
While the report notes evidence of improvement in A&E services during the day, concerns remain over standards of care at night.
The CQC, which says that driving forward a "culture of caring" must be a priority, has also urged the trust not to lose focus on the delivery of current services as it works to implement an ambitious transformation programme at Stafford Hospital.
On a visit to Stafford Hospital yesterday the Health Secretary said he was confident the package of measures being put in place to tackle the problems at Mid-Staffs NHS Foundation Trust was the right one.
"I'm very aware of the strength of feeling about this locally," Mr Burnham said.
"The over-riding priority has to be helping this hospital to improve care as soon as possible. But, at the same time, learning the lessons from what happened here.
"We decided that a further process was necessary to really understand the depth of individual experiences and just how awful and unacceptable some of them were," he said.
While the report from the CQC – which replaces the old Healthcare Commission – clearly indicates that the trust's problems are far from over, the body does say that a "base for recovery" has been put in place, and welcomed the appointment of a permanent chairman and chief executive to bring stablity to the trust as it works to rebuild its shattered reputation.
The findings also reveal that mortality rates at the hospital, which first triggered the Healthcare Commission's investigation back in March 2008, are showing signs of improvement, and morale among staff is thought to be on the up. Mr Burnham said: "In my view the interim chief executive and chairman have done a good job of steadying the trust and getting it on the path to improvement.
But he added: "There is still a long way to go."
