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| Welsh hospital death rates investigation call | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| High death rates in Welsh hospitals should be investigated, the medical director of the English NHS has suggested to his Welsh counterpart. | High death rates in Welsh hospitals should be investigated, the medical director of the English NHS has suggested to his Welsh counterpart. |
| The NHS England medical director said the data on death rates in six Welsh hospitals was worrying but was not adequate to "form a view". | The NHS England medical director said the data on death rates in six Welsh hospitals was worrying but was not adequate to "form a view". |
| His call for an investigation was made in an email last November now released under the Freedom of Information Act. | |
| The Welsh government says the data for England and Wales cannot be compared. | The Welsh government says the data for England and Wales cannot be compared. |
| It has ruled out a Wales-wide inquiry into death rates. | It has ruled out a Wales-wide inquiry into death rates. |
| In the e-mail, NHS England medical director Sir Bruce Keogh told his NHS Wales equivalent Dr Chris Jones: "I cannot vouch for the veracity of these data but they are worrying. | |
| "Given that they represent a potential diagnostic delay and may underpin some of the mortality concerns, it would seem sensible to investigate." | "Given that they represent a potential diagnostic delay and may underpin some of the mortality concerns, it would seem sensible to investigate." |
| The e-mail comes amid heightened tensions between the governments in London and Cardiff Bay over the performance of the Welsh NHS. | The e-mail comes amid heightened tensions between the governments in London and Cardiff Bay over the performance of the Welsh NHS. |
| Statistics published last year by the Welsh government showed 11 out of 17 district general hospitals in Wales had higher death rates than should be expected. | |
| Officials described the findings as a "fire alarm" but they warned that there were major problems with the way the data was collected. | |
| The Welsh NHS has faced problems recently with key targets for A&E missed since 2009, ambulance response time targets hit once since May 2012 and a rise in people waiting more than nine months for their first hospital appointment. | |
| In a statement the Welsh government said: "As Sir Bruce makes clear, he does not have adequate data to form a view of whether there should be an investigation into the hospitals named in the email. | In a statement the Welsh government said: "As Sir Bruce makes clear, he does not have adequate data to form a view of whether there should be an investigation into the hospitals named in the email. |
| "Moreover, even when he does have data, he cannot vouch for its veracity. | "Moreover, even when he does have data, he cannot vouch for its veracity. |
| "The National Statistics Authority has also recently concluded that it is not possible to compare mortality rates between England and Wales as they are measured differently. | "The National Statistics Authority has also recently concluded that it is not possible to compare mortality rates between England and Wales as they are measured differently. |
| "Despite the frequent attempts to criticise the Welsh NHS, well over 90% of people in Wales who actually use the NHS are happy with the care they receive. | "Despite the frequent attempts to criticise the Welsh NHS, well over 90% of people in Wales who actually use the NHS are happy with the care they receive. |
| Unnecessary deaths | |
| "If legitimate concerns are raised about particular aspects of care at specific hospitals, we have acted quickly and ordered independent reviews to identify and resolve any issues." | "If legitimate concerns are raised about particular aspects of care at specific hospitals, we have acted quickly and ordered independent reviews to identify and resolve any issues." |
| Welsh hospitals with persistently high death rates were brought to the attention of Sir Bruce by Cynon Valley MP Ann Clwyd last year. | |
| She is advising Prime Minister David Cameron on how the NHS in England handles complaints. | |
| In the email to Mr Jones, Sir Bruce said the statistics were worrying and offered assistance with an investigation, having recently held such an inquiry into 14 hospitals in England. | |
| But it has been reported that no reply was received. | |
| The statistics are part of a drive to make the NHS more transparent in the wake of the Stafford Hospital scandal. | |
| Neglect and abuse at Stafford Hospital led to hundreds of unnecessary deaths between 2005 and 2008 and prompted a public inquiry. | |
| Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies AM, said: "The concerns raised in this e-mail confirm our serious worries over standards of care in the NHS. | |
| "Professor Keogh's recommendation of 'investigation' into mortality rates should be immediately undertaken and no longer ignored." |