Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch County, comments following the release of the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report into services at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals has told WAHT, which runs the Alex in Redditch, that it must make urgent improvements to the quality of healthcare following an unannounced inspection in April. The Trust has been in special measures since December 2015, and that was extended following an inspection late last year.
Rachel said: “Of course I am very concerned because the safety and treatment of patients is a top priority and clearly Redditch residents deserve better.
“However I have been spending considerable time and energy working with hospital leadership ensuring they focus on the challenges ahead – and it is important to stress that this latest report refers to visits made four months ago and at that time the current CEO had only been in post for a matter of days.
“Recent investment announcements delivered by the Government will help because it will free up capacity in A&E in Worcester."
These will lead to benefits for Redditch, including:
- A new urgent care centre, sometimes known as a walk-in centre, that will be open to adults and children 24 hours a day.
- A dedicated new women’s centre with gynaecology/daycase and outpatient facilities.
- Upgraded operating theatres so that the Alex can become a centre of excellence for planned surgery.
- A new children’s outpatient department.
- Improved endoscopy facilities.
Rachel added: “I'm also calling for more and better communications with the public to keep people informed on service changes so they have more confidence in where services are delivered.”
Rachel visited the Worcestershire Royal Hospital last week (1 August) and was struck how caring and professional the staff were.
She added: “I saw this for myself at first hand during my visit and the staff deserve to work in a well-managed organisation, so I do urge hospital leadership to address the challenges they have using all the available options, including working with partners from other agencies and Trusts where possible.
“I know that this Trust is the one the Department of Health has been most concerned about, and I'm personally making sure it stays at the top of the list until all concerns are dealt with.”
