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‘Bring back elected patient watchdogs’
As UCLH tops performance table, some are pleading:
WHAT is the best way to rate a hospital?
The Doctor Foster Guide has been the order of the day since the private company was given unprecedented access to NHS hospital data by former health minister Patricia Hewitt in 2005.
The Guide – which gives NHS hospitals an overall score based on mortality rates and surgical performance – was set up to stimulate “patient choice” and increase competition between hospitals.
Ministers hoped it would drive up standards in the new NHS marketplace.
The Guide published its annual report on Monday naming the £422million University College London Hospital, run by Sir Robert Naylor and opened by the Queen in 2005, as “NHS Trust of the year”.
Buried in the report is a clue to its success: “Sir Robert was instrumental in persuading the Blair government to recognise Foundation Trust status, allowing major hospitals to retain their own profits, including those from property deals. He has reaped dividends and is now presiding over a centre of medical excellence second to none.”
Since they were introduced, Foundation Trust hospitals – which are independently run and free from central government control – have gone from strength to strength.
The Royal Free and Whittington hospitals both abandoned their bids to become Foundation Trusts this year and have since struggled to compete for major contracts.
In the scrap for funds, the Royal Free is contemplating selling off its prize assets while the Whittington is facing being stripped of its emergency department – while UCLH is top of the tree.
The hospitals also performed well in Dr Foster’s report – both were praised for mortality rates that also were “significantly lower” than the national average – coming in the second highest of five tiers of NHS Trusts. Given their relative disadvantages, is this not evidence of a better hospital?
Even the Dr Foster guide footnotes admit that “no single number can possibly capture the complexity of what hospitals do”.
Some people argue it is better to leave the rating to the patients themselves.
Dr James Munro, who set up a website allowing patients to review their hospitals, said: “There are easily enough patients to keep an eye on the standard of all healthcare settings in the UK – there is no cost to the NHS in collecting the data.”
Dr Jacky Davis, a member of the British Medical Association’s council and a radiologist at the Whittington, goes a step further – calling for the return of elected patient groups who had the power to police hospitals and their commissioners.
She said: “Community Health Councils had statutory powers to obtain information, to visit hospitals and other institutions, and they had access to health authorities.
“They held the local health service to account and could take their concerns straight to the secretary of state.
“They had teeth and were not afraid to criticise government, which undoubtedly led to their demise.
“Let’s bring them back and have the locally accountable and patient-led NHS which the government has endlessly promised but failed to deliver.”
Great expectations Maternity
A MATERNITY hotline has been launched at the Royal Free to help pregnant women access services at the Hampstead hospital directly.
Under the new system, a call centre advisor takes patients’ details and books an appointment with a midwife and for appropriate scans.
It is in response to a surge in antenatal bookings since July – almost 300 women have arranged appointments at the hospital each month.
Linda Boxer, the Royal Free’s operational manager for maternity, obstetrics and gynaecology, said: “We are delighted that women are able to get through to our call centre directly and that we have a professional, friendly team who are able to respond to all our referrals efficiently and effectively.”
If you would like to make a referral (including a self-referral) please contact the Royal Free Hospital’s referral hotline on 020 7794 0500 ext 36169.
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