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PETER Tracy, chair of Tameside Hospital Action Group, stands outside the hospital.
Hospital culture led to neglect
Emilene White4/ 4/2007
A DAMNING independent report has branded care at Tameside Hospital "seriously deficient".
Commissioned by NHS Northwest, the investigation has revealed a culture of lack of respect among long-term staff for patients' privacy and dignity.
It concluded that, though steps have been taken by hospital bosses to change this, they fall short of what is needed.
Nursing experts Dame Pauline Fielding and Liz Craig were brought in to probe the hospital after four inquests uncovered a catalogue of complaints from families about their relatives' care.
Since then more than 160 people have joined an action group to highlight poor care of their elderly relatives.
Dame Pauline said: "The quality of care experienced by some patients over a number of years has been seriously deficient." But she added that the trust, which was "perceived to have been defensive initially in its response," was committed to improving.
She has recommended a complete overhaul of clinical care, staffing, training and communication. Progress will be monitored with check ups in six months' time and again in a year.
Hospital bosses launched an internal inquiry after coroner John Pollard branded hospital care unacceptable in September last year. They identified a string of action points to deal with nursing issues.
But, crucially, Dame Pauline said that it was not just nursing care but the behaviour of doctors that had been called into question, as well as overall co-ordination of care.
She said: "Evidence from the interviews suggests that there has been a culture amongst certain groups or factions of low-turnover staff who have held lightly to matters of patients' privacy and dignity."
Some relatives had experienced "rude and aggressive behaviour" from doctors and nurses, according to the report.
Speaking at a press briefing, Dame Pauline said: "This is something we were very concerned about. One of the recommendations was that those members of staff should be interviewed and their training and qualifications should be examined to see if they have the right skills and attitudes to be working in these areas."
Recommendations for further change include: matrons' rounds to take in issues such as nutrition, hydration and continence, improved management of superbug Clostridium difficile, testing job applicants to select those "likely to uphold patients' privacy and dignity," further training in care of the elderly, improved written and verbal communication, and a review of mixed-sex bays and toilets.
When asked whether this was enough to restore public confidence in the troubled hospital, NHS Northwest chief executive Mike Farrar said: "The trust is committed to making the improvements and I think we can point to recent improvements. There has been a significant reduction in the number of complaints about basic nursing care."
No representative from Tameside Hospital was at the briefing but in a statement bosses said they fully accepted the criticisms.
Nursing chief Philip Dylak said: "We believe the changes we have made are already having a positive impact on the quality of patient care, as evidenced by a reduction in the number of complaints about nursing care and also by the amount of very positive correspondence we receive about the quality of care in wards and departments."
Ashton MP David Heyes, who was involved in setting up the Tameside Hospital Action Group to press for an independent inquiry, which collected reports from 120 distressed families, said: "It was quite a strong report. I think it really validates everything that the coroner, myself and representatives of the families from the action group have been saying. There's no attempt to say the reports are exaggerated or unreasonable, which I'm pleased about.
"It reads to me like final warning."
But he said he would be meeting Mr Farrar to ensure that the report "had teeth".
He added: "The one thing I would say is what sort of hospital is it that has to produce an action plan that says, 'From now on we should treat people with dignity and respect'?
"It shouldn't have to be put down on paper."
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18/04/2007 at 20:32