It has been announced today that NHS Improvement has taken the decision to put the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) into Special Measures.
This decision follows three warnings from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and a series of crises including baby deaths scandal, staff shortages and unsafe conditions in A&E.
In September local MP Lucy Allan wrote to the CQC urging them to put the Trust into Special Measures in the interests of patient safety on the grounds management were unable to deal with the challenges the Trust faced.
Ms Allan also recently met with the Secretary of State and Minister of State for Health to ask Ministers to support the request to put the Trust into Special Measures to provide management with the support needed to tackle the challenges they faced.
Lucy Allan said:
“This is a much needed step forward. I have been pushing for Special Measures, together with Mark Pritchard MP and the Conservative Group on Telford & Wrekin Council, since September, after it became clear that the management could not cope with the serious challenges they faced and which were compromising the safety of residents. I am pleased that this decision has now been made so the Trust can move forward with the right help and support.
“I have been disappointed that the Labour led Council would not join calls for Special Measures and refused to hold Hospital management accountable for the series of failings. The Labour Council preferred to politicise the issue and blame Government and the MPs, which was unhelpful to our community.
“Although the announcement of Special Measures is welcome news and will help to restore trust and confidence in the safety of patient care at PRH, I remain concerned that the Trust’s current management will be unable to deliver for our community in the long term.”