Ex-hospital boss has doubts on death toll

Former Stafford Hospital chairman Toni Brisby has refused to accept the Healthcare Commission report that sparked fury over the deaths of hundreds of patients.

Giving evidence to the independent inquiry into events highlighted in the report, she said she would have challenged it if she was still head of the hospital trust. The evidence used was really dubious, she said.

Mrs Brisby also criticised the inquiry for seeing a "self-selected" group of people.

In a summary of her evidence released today, the ex-chairman criticised the evidence base for the Healthcare Commission report which said that up to 1,200 people may have died because of poor care.

She said that when the investigation was announ-ced in early 2008 the trust was poised to become not just an ordinary district general hospital but an outstanding one, capable of providing the best possible care.

The hospital had strengthened its governance, was financially stable and had a strong executive team, chief executive and nursing director, she added.

Mrs Brisby questioned the reliability of conclusions in the report and said if she was still trust chairman she would have challenged findings.

The ex-chairman, who appeared before the inquiry on December 22, is the most senior former manager to give evidence ,and was questioned about her role at the trust from 2004. She was asked about the hospital board's awareness of cases of poor care at the hospital.

She answered: "We (the trust board) all live in Staffordshire, we all talk to people, we are all around the hospital a fair amount. I am not in denial – I know there were examples of poor care.

"The people you have seen were a sort of self-selected group."

Mrs Brisby said that accounts the inquiry had heard were un-representative, but added: "If people are getting bad treatment it is unforgiveable."

When plans to cut 52 nursing posts were suggested in 2006 to save cash, she was assured it would not impact on patient care.

Inquiry chairman Robert Francis QC is expected to complete his report by the end of this month.