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NHS patient treatment in region 'better
NHS patients in Yorkshire are receiving higher standards of care than ever before but services in some parts of the region remain significantly below par, a key report finds today.
The Healthcare Commission said the quality of care provided by two thirds of NHS trusts in the region was "excellent" or "good" while half got plaudits for their use of resources. Eight – out of 42 nationally – won the highly-prized "double excellent" rating on both standards.
But the troubled trust which runs Scarborough and Bridlington hospitals was the only organisation out of 400 in England to be rated "weak" on both for two years running.
In a second blow for NHS patients in North Yorkshire, the county's primary care trust (PCT) was also rated weak on both standards. The two are among only six nationally to get the bottom ranking.
The PCT's chief executive, Janet Soo-Chung, quit the trust this week but officials refused to comment yesterday on whether her departure was linked to the poor performance.
Trust bosses rate their organisations as part of the assessment process but today's report reveals the Healthcare Commission downgraded the PCT on four out of five ratings after deciding to investigate the trust's declaration.
Nationally the commission said trusts in the North typically performed the best in England for the third year running.
But it said a number of areas needed attention including managing hospital-acquired infections, with as many as six in 10 hospitals failing to meet Government standards.
Its report also highlights a discrepancy between what family doctors say about patient access to GP surgeries and what patients themselves experience.
It showed a dramatic decline in the number of PCTs meeting the target for every patient to be able to see a GP within two working days. This year, just 31 per cent of surgeries hit the target, down from 80 per cent last year.
The fall is because the views of patients on how quickly they can see a GP at their surgery are now taken into account when measuring the target.
Gary Needle, from the commission, said yesterday that it could not be ruled out that GPs were lying about how well they conformed to the target. Doctors earn extra cash for giving good access to their practices.
"We don't know what accounts for the disparity – that's the next step. But there's clearly something happening here," he said.
Commission chairman Sir Ian Kennedy said: "Patients and the public should celebrate these results as they show a real shift in performance.
"Over the past two years, in almost every part of the country, we have seen the number of trusts rated 'good' or 'excellent' expanding and the number rated 'fair' or 'weak' shrinking.
"It is a team effort: The cleaner, the porter, the nurse, the doctor and the manager have all played their part." But he added: "Performance is not universally good, however. We are a lot closer to getting core standards in place across the NHS but there are still too many trusts that are not there.
"Some trusts are still not doing all that's necessary to
sustain the drop in rates of infection.
"Three years into this assessment, the public are entitled to expect urgent action at trusts which are still performing poorly.
"The primary care sector has improved, but more is needed as this sector delivers 88 per cent of healthcare. PCTs must redouble their efforts in areas such as access to GPs and the provision of choice."
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "The progress being made by the NHS at both ends of the scale means real benefits for patients in the quality of care they receive.
"Sixty per cent of trusts are now rated as excellent to good - two years ago 60 per cent were fair or poor."
British Medical Association chairman Hamish Meldrum said it was "misleading" to claim access to GPs had worsened.
"The access figures are even more confusing when you consider that a recent survey showed almost nine out of 10 patients were satisfied that they were able to get an appointment within 48 hours," said the Bridlington GP.
"GPs are working hard to offer as much flexibility as they can to patients, as well as providing speedy access, and delivering an expanding range of services to patients."
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "It's encouraging to see that overall standards are improving in many NHS trusts, but there are still some disturbing gaps in performance.
"It's all too clear that Labour aren't doing enough to tackle hospital infections."
Mr Lansley added: "No hospital should fail basic hygiene standards; it is completely unacceptable that three in 10 are at the moment."
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
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