The Labour Party is today (Tues) calling for urgent action to
ensure the NHS is vitally equipped for the winter to deal with a
second wave of Covid-19, as new analysis reveals hundreds of
extreme risks to patient and staff safety currently blighting
hospitals across England.
The detrimental long-term impact of Tory underfunding on the
National Health Service in the run up to the Covid-19 pandemic
has been exposed in official NHS Trust documents.
Analysis of 114 NHS Trust risk registers shows Trusts are faced
with hundreds of risks to patient safety classed as “significant”
or “extreme”, with the majority linked to a lack of funding,
staffing shortages or major problems with buildings and failing
equipment.
Of the 114 NHS Trust risk registers analysed:
- Over half of Trusts reported risks described as “significant”
or “extreme”
- 83 percent (95 Trusts) reported a workforce risk, including
not having enough staff to manage cancer care
- 66 percent (75 Trusts) reported a financial risk, including
one Trust warning it did not have enough money to see it through
the financial year
- 69 percent (77 Trusts) reported a capital risk relating to
estates, facilities equipment or IT, including risks around not
meeting regulatory requirements for ventilation
- 84 percent (96 Trusts) reported a risk to patient care or
patient safety, including risks around infection control
- 82 percent (94 Trusts) reported a risk directly related to
Covid-19
All of the risk registers were compiled after the onset of the
coronavirus pandemic. The documents show that the NHS entered the
pandemic with huge holes in staffing, funding and with crumbling
buildings and failing equipment. The analysis comes as the NHS
enters a second wave of Covid-19 and the traditionally busy
winter period.
The majority of risks in these registers will have been assessed
by NHS Trusts before it became apparent that the Government had
completely failed to prepare and support the NHS to address these
risks this winter by getting Test and Trace working effectively.
Risks linked to Covid-19 include:
- Northampton General Hospital stated that there is a: “Risk of
the Trust being unable to deliver a recovery plan post covid-19
with consequential impact on patient and staff safety, patient
experience and staff wellbeing.”
Risks linked to capital and infrastructure
include:
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust
stated that: “There is a direct risk to life and safety of
patients, visitors and staff due to the potential of catastrophic
failure of the roof structure due to structural deficiencies.”
- Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust stated: “Due to
operational service changes as a result of Covid-19, there is a
risk that the Trust may fail to comply with Health and Safety
requirements in Asbestos testing, Fire, Pressure Vessels, Water,
Environment and Building condition resulting in poor
patient/staff safety or enforcement action against the Trust for
non-compliance.”
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stated that:
“There is a risk that we are not fully compliant with revised
regulatory requirements for ventilation within theatres leading
to an increased risk of infection.”
- The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS foundation Trust
stated that: There is an increased risk of infection due to the
inability to regulate the main theatres temperature and
humidity.”
Risks linked to NHS staffing include:
- Worcestershire NHS and Care Trust stated that: “There is a
risk that patient's neuropsychological needs will not be met due
to lack of specialist clinical staff to cover the service.”
- University Hospitals of Derby and Burton stated that that is:
“A risk of patient safety and service delivery; especially with
respect to our Lung, Urology, Upper GI and Testicular cancer
pathway – caused by not having currently a full complement of
Clinical Oncologists.”
- The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS foundation Trust
stated that there is a “Risk of patient harm from inappropriate
chemotherapy dosing due to insufficient skilled staff in pharmacy
cancer services team.”
Risks linked to funding include:
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust stated
that: “Due to the current financial position of the Trust there
is a risk that cost saving decision making to achieve the
financial recovery plan could negatively impact on patient
experience and safety.”
- Liverpool Women’s NHS foundation Trust stated that: “The
Trust is not financially sustainable beyond the current financial
year.”
- University College London Hospitals NHS foundation Trust
stated that: “UCLH is allocated a level of income that is
insufficient to cover the costs of the Trust’s activity or else
is set efficiency targets that it is unable to achieve, with a
consequent risk to financial sustainability and an impact on
staff and patient experience/waiting times.”
Risks linked to patient safety include:
- South Tees Hospital NHS Trusts stated that: “Due to changes
in maternity services there is a risk of inability to provide
continuous, safe maternity and neonatal care posing a risk to the
mortality and morbidity of women and babies.”
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stated that:
“There is a risk that patients may deteriorate and or receive
suboptimal treatment resulting from a growing number of medicinal
products, sourced on contracts, showing as out of stock with
suppliers.”
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust stated that: “Effective
management systems are not in place or sufficient to protect
patients from the risk of hospital acquired C difficile and
bloodstream infections caused by multi-resistant organisms.
Caused by insufficient compliance with infection prevention
procedures, including hand hygiene decontamination, environmental
cleaning and insufficient training.”
- York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust stated: “There is
a potential risk to patient safety caused by a current lack of
decent facilities at Scarborough Hospital to enable refurbishment
or deep cleaning of ward environments.”
, Labour’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary,
said:
“In a normal winter, these risks would be worrying. In the coming
winter, with the incompetent handling of the test and trace
system leaving the NHS wide open and poorly supported, they take
on a whole new meaning.
“We urgently need a commitment from Ministers to fix the problems
with test and trace and a timetable by which these issues will
finally be sorted. On top of this it is vital that Ministers
confirm that the NHS will get the additional support it needs to
address these risks.
“Frontline staff and patients cannot be made to carry the can for
and Matt Hancock’s incompetence.”
