Hospitals in special measures ‘making progress’

14 Feb 14

Hospitals that were placed in ‘special measures’ last year have made substantial progress, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority said today.

A total of 11 NHS trusts and foundation trusts in England were put in special measures in July 2013 following NHS England Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh’s review into hospitals with higher-than-average mortality rates. Since July, a further three trusts have been so designated.

Each of these 14 trusts has been asked to produce and publish a plan setting out specific remedial actions. Both Monitor and the NHS TDA are holding trusts to account where actions have been delaying.

Trusts in special measures have to partner with a high-performing trust to help deliver improvement, while each also has an improvement director to monitor progress and provide early warnings if actions look likely to be missed.

Those foundation trusts in special measures may have some of their freedoms, such as the ability to appoint an executive team, suspended.

In a progress report issued today, Monitor and NHS TDA revealed that 82 (34%) of the 244 special measures actions across all the affected trusts had been completed. A further 127 (52%) are on track for completion within the expected timescale.

Monitor chief executive David Bennett said: ‘Although there is still a way to go, trusts in special measures are using the additional support we’re giving them to deliver real improvements for patients.

‘The challenge now is to see this process completed so that these hospitals are consistently delivering good care.’

NHS TDA chief executive David Flory added that ‘substantial progress’ had been made at each trust in special measures.

‘There is clearly also much more support that we need to provide as they work towards delivering further sustainable improvements for patients.’

The 14 trusts in special measures are:

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Colchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

East Lancashire NHS Trust

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust

Medway NHS Foundation Trust

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust