The Northern Health & Social Care Trust which includes Antrim & Causeway Hospitals have been recommended by a recent review to investigate its mortality rates.
Also see Over 1,600 A&E deaths http://savethemid.weebly.com/1/post/2013/05/over-1600-deaths-in-northern-ireland-aes-since-20091.html
Save The Mid have already been in contact with Dr Jarman who part of Dr Foster and he has already shown an interest in being able to examine death rates in the Northern Trust.
However, some hospitals dispute Dr Foster's way of measuring death rates. Dr David Rosser, medical director of University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), criticised the validity of both the indicators which led to it appearing on the list of 12. HSMR was widely considered to be unsuitable for comparing hospitals, Rosser said. "Dr Foster frequently changes the methodology of the HSMR, which, in our opinion, further reduces its credibility as a comparator."
The Mid Staff Hospital Connection
The scandal came to light because of an investigation by the Healthcare Commission into the operation of Stafford Hospital in Stafford, England. Released in March 2009, the commission's report severely criticised the Foundation Trust's management and detailed the appalling conditions and inadequacies at the hospital. Many press reports suggested that because of the substandard care between 400 and 1200 more patients died between 2005 and 2008 than would be expected for the type of hospital, though in fact such ‘excess’ death statistics did not appear in the final Healthcare Commission report.
As a result, the trust's chief executive, Martin Yeates, was suspended (with full pay), while its chairman, Toni Brisby, resigned. Both Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Health Secretary Alan Johnson apologised to those who suffered at the hospital. Also in response to the scandal, the mortality rates of all National Health Service hospitals have been made accessible on a website.
In June 2010, the new government announced that a full public inquiry would be held. The inquiry began on 8 November 2010 chaired by Robert Francis QC, who had chaired the fourth inquiry which he had criticised for its narrow remit. The inquiry considered more than a million pages of previous evidence as well as hearing from witnesses.
Is Antrim Hospital Northern Ireland's Mid Staff Scandal?
This began with the removal of consultant maternity services, trauma services, and limited the opening hours of the A&E. On top of this it introduced ambulance bypass protocols that diverted patients from the Mid Ulster Hospital despite the fact that the hospital could have treated the patient.
While this was undertaken there was no material increase in the capacity of services at Antrim Hospital, which also had to adsorb several services from Whiteabbey in the same year and previous to that the Braid in Ballymena.
Further to this during 2010/11 there was a near total loss of acute services from both the Mid Ulster and Whitebait Hospitals, again without any development at Antrim Hospital. In the wake of this we have seen several reports, not unlike Mid Staff that have briefly covered some problem areas but yet none that offered a solution.
Year on year since 2010 Antrim Hospital is rarely out of the media for overcrowding or deaths that have occurred, 4 reviews in 4 years shows that we have reached a point where internally this issue cannot be resolved, 2 major individuals within the scandal ridden Northern Trust, former acute director Valarie Jackson and former CEO Sean Donaghy instead of being sacked for their role in failing to manage acute acre were seconded to other areas in health.
The only high profile sacking was former Chair Jim Stewart, who in all reality whistle-blew on the inability of Antrim to hit its targets with the capacity it had. Despite this comment being 100% true Health Minister Edwin Poots sacked the chair of the Trust instead of facing up to the reality that it is a Trust in crisis.
However it is the view of Save The Mid that had health chiefs adhered to the risk assessment in 2006 and either retained Mid Ulster Hospital until Antrim hospital had its second phase built that this suffering and deaths could have been avoided.
It is clear and apparent now that phase 2 of Antrim will never be built; it is time to reinstate the Mid Ulster as an acute hospital facility, as per the risk assessment 2006.
It is time for the Trust, it is time that the Northern trust face an external investigation akin to that of the Francis Review on Mid Staff
Should Mary Hinds be left to led change in Antrim
Why did Mary Hinds hide the culture of bullying of staff inside Antrim Hospital?
Somebody mentioned bullying and harassment, and I will ask Mary a straight question about that. I read somewhere, maybe in the report, that bullying and harassment had been mentioned but that you refused to publish that information, or something along those lines. You have the opportunity to clarify: were bullying and harassment mentioned? Is it the case that you heard about it but, for whatever reason, did not want to publish that information?
Ms Hinds: I am absolutely clear. I was invited in and given free access to any member of staff. I could talk to anyone at any time and spoke to a wide range of staff. Some sought me out, others I found, and I heard a wide range of views.
A number of staff did describe a culture of bullying --
Mr McCarthy: There we go.
For full report:
http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Documents/Official-Reports/Health/2011-2012/120530_AntrimAreaHospitalAccidentandEmergencyReports.pdf
Despite Admitting to the health committee that she omitted the claims of bullying from her report Mary Hinds is now along with Paul Cummings in charge of these staff members who confided in her. What confidence can the staff have in Mary Hinds for covering up such a serious culture?