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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (6396)	3/17/2009 7:31:11 PM
From: TimF	2 Recommendations Respond to of 42652

Failing hospital 'caused deaths' A hospital's "appalling" emergency care resulted in patients dying needlessly, the NHS watchdog has said. About 400 more people died at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and 2008 than would be expected, the Healthcare Commission said. It said there were deficiencies at "virtually every stage" of emergency care and managers pursued targets to the detriment of patient care. Health Secretary Alan Johnson has apologised and launched an inquiry. One of the worst examples of care cited in the watchdog's report was the use of receptionists to carry out initial checks on patients. ... Its report cited low staffing levels, inadequate nursing, lack of equipment, lack of leadership, poor training and ineffective systems for identifying when things went wrong. It said that: * Unqualified receptionists carried out initial checks on patients arriving at the accident and emergency department * Heart monitors were turned off in the emergency assessment unit because nurses did not know how to use them * There were not enough nurses to provide proper care * The trust's management board did not routinely discuss the quality of care * Patients were "dumped" into a ward near A&E without nursing care so the four-hour A&E waiting time could be met * There was often no experienced surgeon in the hospital during the night ... The commission's chairman Sir Ian Kennedy said: "This is a story of appalling standards of care and chaotic systems for looking after patients. "There were inadequacies at almost every stage in the care of emergency patients. "There is no doubt that patients will have suffered and some of them will have died as a result. "Trusts must always put the safety of patients first. Targets or an application for foundation trust status do not lessen a board's responsibility to its patients' safety." Sir Ian added that a surprise inspection of the hospital in recent weeks found the trust had improved but it would continue to be monitored... news.bbc.co.uk