“I know my City of Lincoln Constituents and the people of Lincolnshire will be as concerned as I am to hear that, as a result of the Care Quality Commission’s recent Inspection of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), Professor Sir Mike Richards, England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, has concluded that the Trust requires improvement and should remain in special measures for a further six months.
“Shortly after this decision was announced I spoke on the telephone to Ron Buchanan, the Trust’s Chairman, and have subsequently written requesting a formal meeting with him and other members of the ULHT’s Board at their earliest convenience to discuss the Report, the measures the Trust are taking to improve its performance and to ascertain what assistance I and the other six Members of Parliament in Lincolnshire can provide.
“Despite the undoubted challenges ULHT face, we should also recognise the progress that has been made in recent times: we now have 140 extra nurses and nursing support staff; mortality rates are finally back within the expected range;and there has been a significant reduction in the number of falls and pressure ulcers across the Trust - a sign of improved nursing.”
“Unlike Labour, who ignored warning signs from 2006 onwards indicating that ULHT had significantly high death rates, (Dr Foster, Good Hospital Guide 2007, p31 link), I and my Conservative-led Government will not rest until the patients in our City and County receive the quality of healthcare they need, want and deserve.”