Ratings too simplistic
St Richard's Hospital has been downgraded from 'Outstanding' to 'requires improvement' following a Care Quality Commission' (CQC) inspection of surgical services provided by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (Uhsussex).
Last week's Chichester Observer reported Dr
George Findlay Uhsussex Chief Executive expressing concerned dismay: "That is a real sadness for me because I know it will be a real blow to the thousands of brilliant and dedicated staff working to care for people day in and day out. Those colleagues are all just as outstanding as they were last week, and the week before, but they might not feel like that. That would be wrong, and a real shame."
Chichester MP Gillian Keegan would not give her government top rating on recently being asked by LBC presenter Nick Ferrari to evaluate its performance using Ofsted's four-point grading scale of Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and
Inadequate (https://www. lbc.co.uk/news/gilliankeegan-rates-governmentusing-ofsted/). However, Keegan would give GOOD: "Often a lot of [good] things we've delivered nobody ever talks about." Asked to sum up her government's rating in just one word she replied: "Delivering." Make of this what you will.
The tragic death of head teacher Ruth Perry preceded an anticipated Ofsted report downgrading her school from 'outstanding' to 'inadequate' in ironically 'safeguarding' leadership and management. Readily recalled flawed simplistic labels are alarmingly undermining. Dr Findlay's concern for colleagues questioning whether they can continue to feel the same reassuring pride and confidence in "knowing just how fantastic their hospitals are" is entirely understandable. Only a few years ago we were asked to clap in appreciation for heroic front-line NHS key carers. Meanwhile, up to 20,000 vital 'social enterprise' NHS health workers in England still await a promised government one-off payment of nearly £1,655 agreed last May. Not yet receiving an expected bonus is extremely worrying for many front-line workers delivering essential NHS community services. Other struggling cost-ofliving health groups include "bank staff "providing temporary cover for hospital trusts filling rota gaps. The Royal College of Nursing is campaigning on behalf of poorly awarded members in GP practices. Members of Unite union, such as cleaners, porters and NHS facilities' staff, have staged industrial action against employers failing to honour promised payments.
NHS is in terminal crisis. On current trends the waiting list for urgent treatment may peak 8 million by August 2024. Disrepair in NHS buildings caused thousands of potentially harmful incidents last year, including critically-ill patients being moved when rainfall came through the ceiling. Sewage leaks, floods and failing equipment have featured in incident records. Health chiefs have called on government to double capital spending. According to NHS data, the care of more than 2,600 acute hospital patients was disrupted last year by estate and infrastructure failure. Cancer waiting times for 2023 in England were the worst on record. Only 64.1% of patients started treatment within 62 days of cancer being suspected, and nearly 100,000 desperately waited longer than they should for life-saving care. The waits have worsened every year for the past 11. This marks a new 'low' highlighting the terrible situation for those living with cancer and for thousands of people waiting far too long to find out if they have cancer to begin urgent treatment. Over three million people in the UK live with cancer. And we have a rising ageing population. And it's now more than a decade since UK hit its 62-day cancer target.
MP Keegan gives her post Brexit government a GOOD one-word rating for 'delivery'.
Make of this what you will.
‘They typify the attitude of the medical staff at our hospital’
Peter Lansley
Cedar Drive, Chichester