Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
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MP tells NHS trust management they must do much better
Lewes MP Norman Baker has expressed his deep concern about the running of the Brighton and Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust in a frank meeting with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Trust, which runs the Royal Sussex County in Brighton, and the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath, which together serve as the main acute hospitals for most of Mr Baker’s constituents.
In the meeting at the Princess Royal, which took place at the MP’s request, he identified a number of serious problems:
- the record deficit of £11.4m, the fourth worst in the country, a position that has worsened since figures were assembled
- the high rate of MRSA infections, the third worst in the country
- the recent loss to the Princess Royal of some crucial A&E facilities, equivalent to 10% of all A&E cases at the hospital
- a so-called consultation exercise which generated large opposition to the central proposal, namely the A&E changes, but which led to no changes whatsoever in the proposal adopted, a consultation exercise called “a sham” by another MP
- the high profile resignation of surgeon Mike Lavelle, who cited “gross overmanagement” as the reason, and the subsequent open letter supporting him signed by 23 senior doctors and consultants
- a strong complaint in writing, from Mid-Sussex Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman Serena Tierney, that the Trust will not answer the questions she has put to them.
Norman Baker says:
“This combination of concerns suggests that there are hard underlying questions to be asked about the management of the Trust. To fall down in one area may be unfortunate. To fail in so many looks like something more serious. At the very least the NHS Trust has presided over a public relations disaster over recent weeks.
“For my constituents, having a well-run local hospital in which they can have confidence comes close to the top of their priorities. I suspect that for many, that confidence is lacking at present. It is now vital that the Trust openly and frankly admits that mistakes have been made, and sets out a clear plan to repair the damage caused in relations with its staff and with the public at large, including my constituents. I shall be keeping a close eye on what happens next and will not hesitate to raise these matters with Ministers if necessary.”