Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
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Local MP says Sussex NHS is in crisis
Local Lib Dem MP, Norman Baker, has today responded to a report from the Healthcare Inspectorate which rates more than 200 NHS trusts, including those covering the local area, as 'weak'.
The report classified all of the local hospital trusts and primary care trusts as having 'weak', financial management and 'fair' patient care. Only Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust received better assessment results. The results were:
| Trust | Quality of Services | Use of Resources |
| Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust | Good | Fair |
| Sussex Downs & Weald PCT | Fair | Weak |
| Eastbourne Downs PCT | Fair | Weak |
| East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust | Fair | Weak |
| Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust | Fair | Weak |
Trusts were graded weak on financial performance either because they went into the red in 2005/6 or because they were deemed to have provided poor value for money. Common failings in terms of patient care included slack procedures to ensure decontamination of medical equipment, poor control of patient records and uncertainty over whether staff have taken part in mandatory training.
The report also used "lie detection software" to analyse the trusts' own assessments of performance and found that 42% of trusts had embroidered the truth in the course of their own self-assessments. Nearly half the hospitals and other health organisations in England were subsequently placed in the bottom grade in recognition of unacceptably poor performance.
Commenting on the report, Norman Baker said:
"The results of this report are a very worrying development in that they suggest that Sussex hospitals are performing below standard, particularly in relation to financial matters. It seems to me that the NHS in Sussex is in crisis.
"It is astonishing that, despite the fact that record amounts are being poured into the NHS, our healthcare services and their financial management have never been more vulnerable than they are now."