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| Tameside hospital boss urged to quit over care quality scandal | Tameside hospital boss urged to quit over care quality scandal |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| MPs are calling for the boss of scandal-hit Tameside hospital in Greater Manchester to quit after revelations about problems affecting quality of care and patient safety. | |
| The new pressure on the long-serving chief executive, Christine Green, to stand down comes as the Guardian reveals that the hospital's A&E unit has failed an official inspection. | The new pressure on the long-serving chief executive, Christine Green, to stand down comes as the Guardian reveals that the hospital's A&E unit has failed an official inspection. |
| Jonathan Reynolds, Andrew Gwynne and David Heyes, the three MPs whose constituents use Tameside as their main local hospital, have issued a joint statement urging Green to go after 15 years in charge. | |
| "Although the majority of care delivered by the hospital's frontline staff is praised by patients, we have had serious concerns about aspects of care and governance at the hospital for some time now, which the hospital trust are well aware of. We have always stood by our previous statement that new leadership is required," the Labour trio said. | "Although the majority of care delivered by the hospital's frontline staff is praised by patients, we have had serious concerns about aspects of care and governance at the hospital for some time now, which the hospital trust are well aware of. We have always stood by our previous statement that new leadership is required," the Labour trio said. |
| "There needs to be significant and sustained improvement across several different areas of care and management. We are confident this can be done, and in doing so local confidence in the hospital's ability to meet the needs of our community can be restored." | "There needs to be significant and sustained improvement across several different areas of care and management. We are confident this can be done, and in doing so local confidence in the hospital's ability to meet the needs of our community can be restored." |
| Detailed concerns about major problems in the care provided at Tameside, highlighted by two separate reviews by internal teams of NHS experts in best practice seen by the Guardian, bore out their own longstanding concerns, the MPs said. "We have campaigned for many years to ensure Tameside hospital delivers the level of care expected of an NHS hospital. These reports reflect our own concerns and the submission made by us to the Keogh review." | |
| Sir Bruce Keogh's findings into standards of treatment at 14 hospitals, which are expected to be highly critical, are due to be published in the week beginning 15 July. | Sir Bruce Keogh's findings into standards of treatment at 14 hospitals, which are expected to be highly critical, are due to be published in the week beginning 15 July. |
| The MPs' intervention comes as the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates NHS care, admitted that its inspectors had found problems at Tameside's A&E unit, which was heavily criticised and depicted as an overcrowded scene of chaos in the two reports. | |
| A CQC spokesman told the Guardian it had instigated an inspection after Jackie Hayden, the postgraduate dean for Greater Manchester, passed on concerns first raised privately with her by a group of junior doctors working in several departments at Tameside. | A CQC spokesman told the Guardian it had instigated an inspection after Jackie Hayden, the postgraduate dean for Greater Manchester, passed on concerns first raised privately with her by a group of junior doctors working in several departments at Tameside. |
| "The deanery's concerns were raised at a meeting with NHS England and CQC inspectors and this triggered an immediate inspection of TGH's [Tameside general hospital's] accident and emergency services. Inspectors found that the hospital was not meeting standards, findings that were shared with the Keogh review team," the spokesman said. | "The deanery's concerns were raised at a meeting with NHS England and CQC inspectors and this triggered an immediate inspection of TGH's [Tameside general hospital's] accident and emergency services. Inspectors found that the hospital was not meeting standards, findings that were shared with the Keogh review team," the spokesman said. |
| He could not give details of why the A&E unit failed the inspection because the CQC's report is being finalised and he could not release details of its contents before publication, he added. Further action is planned, however. "We plan to return to Tameside imminently to check improvements have been made and continue to work closely with NHS England and Monitor to oversee progress," he said. | He could not give details of why the A&E unit failed the inspection because the CQC's report is being finalised and he could not release details of its contents before publication, he added. Further action is planned, however. "We plan to return to Tameside imminently to check improvements have been made and continue to work closely with NHS England and Monitor to oversee progress," he said. |
| Monitor, which regulates finance and governance at the growing number of semi-independent foundation trust hospitals in England, said Tameside's financial problems meant it was currently breaching the terms of its operating licence. | Monitor, which regulates finance and governance at the growing number of semi-independent foundation trust hospitals in England, said Tameside's financial problems meant it was currently breaching the terms of its operating licence. |
| "Tameside NHS foundation trust has been under close scrutiny within Monitor's regulatory regime for more than two years, and is currently in breach of its licence on financial and governance grounds," said a spokesman. "We have used our powers to secure legal undertakings that the trust will deliver cost savings to eradicate its deficit, and require the trust to develop an adequate long-term strategic plan." | "Tameside NHS foundation trust has been under close scrutiny within Monitor's regulatory regime for more than two years, and is currently in breach of its licence on financial and governance grounds," said a spokesman. "We have used our powers to secure legal undertakings that the trust will deliver cost savings to eradicate its deficit, and require the trust to develop an adequate long-term strategic plan." |
| However, "there remains a lot of noise locally about the trust, but so far we are not aware of any evidence to justify further regulatory action", he added. | However, "there remains a lot of noise locally about the trust, but so far we are not aware of any evidence to justify further regulatory action", he added. |
| The hospital said its board had approved an action plan to tackle the problems highlighted in the two reports, which had been sent to Monitor. | The hospital said its board had approved an action plan to tackle the problems highlighted in the two reports, which had been sent to Monitor. |
| Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said: "Substandard is completely unacceptable. Patients should not face excessive waits for treatment and junior doctors must have the support they need from consultants to provide patients with that treatment. | Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said: "Substandard is completely unacceptable. Patients should not face excessive waits for treatment and junior doctors must have the support they need from consultants to provide patients with that treatment. |
| "Professor Sir Bruce Keogh will be publishing his report on Tameside hospital shortly. This will ensure that they have the support that they need to improve care for their patients." | "Professor Sir Bruce Keogh will be publishing his report on Tameside hospital shortly. This will ensure that they have the support that they need to improve care for their patients." |