Healthcare Commission To Launch Investigation At Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 25 Mar 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The Healthcare Commission announced that it is to investigate mortality rates at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

The move is in response to data suggesting that the trust's rates of mortality may be high, particularly in the area of emergency admissions.

The Commission has been concerned about the effectiveness of the trust's systems for monitoring mortality rates.

It carried out an initial analysis of data from the trust and compared this with other trusts. It visited the trust on two occasions and requested and considered documentary evidence relating to concerns before making its decision to launch an investigation.

Nigel Ellis, the Commission's Head of Investigations, said: "An apparently high rate of mortality does not necessarily mean there are problems with safety. It may be there are other factors here such as the way that information about patients is recorded by the trust. Either way it does require us to ask questions, which is why we are carrying out this investigation."

The Commission is pioneering systems that aim to use information to identify potential problems before they become serious. This particular investigation was triggered by an alert system that identifies apparently high death rates.

The investigation will examine the ability of the trust's information systems to provide an accurate picture of mortality rates and identify potential problems so that swift action can be taken, wherever improvements need to be made.

In addition, the Commission will investigate the quality of care at the trust, in particular the care given to older people, following a number of concerns raised by patients.

The investigation will also examine governance arrangements to protect the safety of patients.

Mr Ellis said: "It is absolutely critical that, on behalf of patients, we get to the bottom of these issues and bring clarity to the data on mortality rates.

"The figures at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust are out of normal range which is why we are carrying out this investigation to get a clear picture of what is going on.

` "People using the trust's hospital services, should be assured, however, that if we thought the trust was unsafe we would have already taken action. There is no cause for immediate alarm. The safety of patients is our number one priority, nothing will get in the way of this.

He added: "The trust is cooperating fully with the Commission and has agreed to provide all information and support that may be necessary throughout the course of the investigation." "The full results of this independent and thorough investigation will be published in due course, along with any recommendations for improvement, if these are necessary."

The terms of reference for the investigation will published on the Commission's website.

Note

Mortality outlier alerts are generated by the Commission's own analysis or as a result of an alert from the Dr Foster Unit at Imperial College. The trust's data on outcomes for patients has also recently caused the Dr Foster Unit at Imperial College London to bring concerns to the attention of the trust and the Healthcare Commission.

Information on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust is a newly appointed foundation trust (since 1 February 2008). The trust is a medium-sized district general, providing services to a population of approximately 300,000 in Stafford, Cannock, Rugeley and the surrounding rural areas of South Staffordshire.

Information about the Healthcare Commission

The Healthcare Commission is the health watchdog in England. It keeps check on health services to ensure that they are meeting standards in a range of areas. The Commission also promotes improvements in the quality of healthcare and public health in England through independent, authoritative, patient-centred assessments of those who provide services.

Responsibility for inspection and investigation of NHS bodies and the independent sector in Wales rests with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW). The Healthcare Commission has certain statutory functions in Wales which include producing an annual report on the state of healthcare in England and Wales, national improvement reviews in England and Wales, and working with HIW to ensure that relevant cross-border issues are managed effectively.

The Healthcare Commission does not cover Scotland as it has its own body, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) undertakes regular reviews of the quality of services in Northern Ireland.

Healthcare Commission