The problems at Treliske were
laid bare this week in a concerning report by the Care Quality Commission. The
hospital has been rated as "inadequate" with surgery, maternity and
gynaecology, end of life and outpatient services also rated as inadequate.
As a result, we have seen the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust being
placed into special measures.
When any organisation faces the
sort of challenging report delivered last week, we have to strike the right
balance in our response. We must not ignore problems or make excuses for
some of the failures highlighted. Equally, we must be supportive of
those who work there and must take care not to undermine morale among hard
working medical staff. We all have tremendous respect for the doctors,
nurses and other staff who show great commitment and dedication. We also
recognise that despite more funding, demand on NHS services has grown.
So, we need to use this report as
an opportunity to help put things right. To their credit, the senior
management team and the Board at the RCHT have taken this head on and made
clear that they will work to address the shortcomings. One of the
consequences of going into special measures is that there will be a new
Improvement Director put in place, with experience of turning around hospitals
facing similar challenges. They may help the management team at RCHT get
back on an even keel and get the whole operation back on its feet. In
addition, strengthening some of the clinical management functions within the
Trust will help.
We should also recognise that it
was not all bad news. Locally, we have great work being done at St
Michael’s Hospital, which is a national leader in breast surgery, and Camborne
and Redruth Hospital which has a number of specialisms including stroke and
prosthetics. The quality of services at St Michael's in Hayle were
recognised and rated as good. Critical care and children and young
people’s services have been rated as good.
Alongside the report, a review
found poorly coordinated processes that meant the experience of people moving
between hospitals, social care and their own homes was often not good enough.
How we support people in need of adult social care is a growing dilemma, and
creative thinking is needed. Finding the right solutions is key to
easing pressure on the NHS.
