Inquiry into trusts’ care failures probes 1,500 deaths
The first ever public inquiry to cover mental health is now probing nearly 1,500 fatalities linked to services in a single county, the senior psychiatrist leading it has revealed, saying it will ‘hold systems’ feet to the fire’ over care failures.
Troubled provider sees ‘outstanding’ services downgraded to ‘inadequate’
A mental health trust already subject to an inquiry into a string of adult patient deaths has had its rating for children’s wards downgraded from “outstanding” to “inadequate”.
Trust fined £1.5m after patient deaths
A mental health trust has been fined £1.5m following a prosecution by the Heath and Safety Executive over failings related to 11 inpatient deaths.
NHS England director backs tighter recruitment checks
NHS England’s national director for mental health is considering asking trusts to look at their recruitment processes, after discovering her own trust had hired a nurse who previously falsified a care plan.
Police close corporate manslaughter probe into trust
A mental health trust will not face charges of corporate manslaughter, the police have said following a probe into the deaths of 25 patients.
Trust spend on compulsory redundancies rises by 8pc
Trust spend on compulsory redundancies increased by 8 per cent — or £3.3m — last year, analysis reveals.
Hospital hit A&E target by 'making staff bothered', says CEO
Making staff “bothered” about the four hour metric and recognising it was a “quality standard not a performance target” was the main driver behind a struggling hospital’s accident and emergency performance recovery, a senior trust chief has told HSJ.
70 trusts working with NHSI to boost workforce retention
Seventy NHS trusts have now been recruited by NHS Improvement to its programme to improve workforce retention rates in the health service.
Teaching trust to exit special measures after four years
An NHS hospital trust in special measures for the last four years – longer than any other provider – has finally made sufficient improvement to be lifted out of the regime.
Cancer services hit by raft of senior resignations
A general hospital’s oncology department has been hit by three senior resignations which have halved its consultant resource – creating “significant risk and [exposing] the fragility of the service model”.
Inquest prompts police probe into inpatient deaths
Police have launched an investigation into a number of inpatient deaths at an acute mental health unit, it has emerged this afternoon.
New merger trust sets out five year savings plan
Essex’s new mental health provider trust must deliver £43m of savings over the next five years to hit its business plan agreed with regulators, the trust’s interim chief executive has told HSJ.
Trust merger confirmed to go live next month
South Essex Partnership University and North Essex Partnership University foundation trusts have had their long awaited merger approved.
Merger trusts set course for 'significant' service changes
Two Essex mental health trusts set to merge in April are planning a “significant” service reconfiguration, a report by the trusts revealed.
Revealed: New oversight ratings for every NHS trust
Regulators have published proposed new ratings for every NHS trust that reflect the seriousness of the problems they face.
STP to appoint new chair
The Suffolk and north east Essex sustainability and transformation plan footprint is searching for an independent chair with just days to go until the submission deadline for the high profile plans, HSJ has learned.
South East trusts target April merger
Two Essex mental health trusts are aiming to merge by April under a new name, according to board papers.
Hundreds left waiting for vital mental health assessments
Hundreds of patients are waiting more than two weeks to have vital assessments for psychosis treatment, HSJ analysis has revealed.
Revealed: Trusts borrow millions to pay for redundancies and beds
Papers released by the Department of Health show trusts have borrowed hundreds of millions of pounds to pay suppliers, make redundancies and increase bed capacity.
Three trusts could set up 'single leadership' team
Plans for three Essex trusts with combined revenues of around £850m to establish a “single leadership” team and run their hospitals as a “network” are being investigated by system leaders, HSJ has learned.