11/02/13…Healthcare Trust says it’s taking action on higher than average mortality rates

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, one of several health authorities to be investigated following the Stafford hospital scandal, has this evening issued a statement.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust takes patient safety very seriously and has welcomed today?s announcement that Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director of the NHS, has widened its review into hospital mortality indicators.

“Buckinghamshire Healthcare has recorded higher than average Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) over the past two years and has focussed its efforts to understand why. Action plans have been put in place and we have seen an improvement in our mortality indicators year-on-year as a result. This has included our doctors reviewing deceased patient notes on a monthly basis and the establishment of a mortality task force, which looks at patient care, the patient experience and clinical coding.”

Lynne Swiatczak, Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Care Standards, said: ?Our regular detailed reviews of patient case notes and mortality data has not identified any areas of concern with patient care, but our task force and Trust Board continues to look in-depth at this issue. As a provider of a wide range of services including acute care, five community hospitals, and a hospice, we have also been working with independent experts to understand how this may impact on our HSMR. We welcome the approach being taken by Sir Bruce?s review, in particular the additional support and assurance it will provide to, and build upon, our own work. We will ensure this review is given our full support.?

The statement continued: “Buckinghamshire Healthcare has a good record for patient care and quality. It has one of the lowest infection rates in the country, with no cases of MRSA bacteraemia over the past 12 months. Its stroke service has been recently rated in the top 10% of trusts in the country. In the past two years we have seen improvements in our mortality rates, which were at 118 in 2009/10 but have fallen to 109 in 2011/12.”

photo: Lynne Swiatczak, Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Care Standards at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust