Repeat of the Mid Staffs scandal is ‘inevitable’ as NHS faces worst situation ever, warns expert who led inquiry
Sir Robert Francis, QC, warned things have “never been as bad as they are now” and there will come a point where public trust in the service “dissipates”
THE tragedies of the Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal will happen again, warns the expert who led the public enquiry into the failings.
Sir Robert Francis, QC, said the NHS is facing an “existential crisis”, with the situation "never as bad as it is now".
He said the government can no longer pretend the health service is coping and that pressure to cut costs would lead to the neglect of patients.
That pressure could get so bad, in fact, that he cautioned of a repeat of the Stafford Hospital scandal that saw frail and elderly patients left without food or water.
His final report into the crisis, published in 2013, found that bosses became obsessed with cost-cutting and government targets at the expense of care.
His three volume report following the 2010 public inquiry found hundreds of patients experienced “appalling and unnecessary” suffering.
He said: “Politically, with a small 'p', the message is put out we are putting more money in the service than we ever did and it is the best health service around, but against that there is a frontline feeling that things have never been as bad as they are now and we can't deal with the pressures.
“We are told, 'Oh, well we have got more nurses' no nursing director I have come across seems to agree with that and they can't find them.
“Let's make no bones about it, the NHS is facing an existential crisis ... The service is running faster and faster to try and keep up and is failing, manifestly failing. The danger is that we reach a tipping point, we haven't reached it yet, but there will come a point where public confidence in the service dissipates.”
Asked whether he thought the same mistakes made at Mid Staffs were possible again he said: “I think it is inevitable.
“If you look at the number of trusts who are not only in deficit but won’t agree their control targets, the fact some are not agreeing their control targets is good because it means they are saying we can’t actually do that and carry on the service you want us to provide.
“But there will be those that have said yes when they actually can’t do it and often it will be the more inexperienced ones who haven’t got the clout to stand up to the pressures.
“Absolutely yes, that is a danger.”
His stark warnings come as the ailing NHS faces one of the worst winter crises in its history – branded a “humanitarian crisis” by charity The Red Cross.
New figures revealed yesterday that more than 60,000 sick Brits waited up to 12 hours on trolleys or chairs to get a NHS bed in December – a record high.
A&E wait times are now the longest in recent history.
NHS data for December revealed just 86.2 per cent of the 1.4 million casualty patients last month were seen within four hours.
They are expected to treat 95 per cent of patients within this time.
On top of that, cancer treatment delays are also the highest on record.
More than 85 per cent of patients should start receiving cancer care within 62 days of being referred by their GP.
But this target was missed throughout 2016, with only 82 per cent seen in time, meaning thousands of patients had their survival chances diminished.
Prime Minister Theresa May has maintained that the NHS is getting more than the extra £8billion it has asked for by 2020.
But Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, told MPs last month that she was “stretching it” with her claims.
Today, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted performance in some parts of the NHS is “completely unacceptable”, adding there was “no excuse” for some of the problems faced by patients over winter.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hunt said there was already a "big transformation programme" under way in the NHS with the aim of treating more people at home or in the community to ease burdens on hospitals.
He said: “It is incredibly frustrating for me.
“I am doing this job because I want NHS care to be the safest and best in the world.
"That kind of care is completely unacceptable. No-one would want it for members of their own family.”
He insisted the Government was addressing problems in the social care system, which are preventing many elderly and frail patients from being discharged from hospital - so-called "bed-blocking".
He added: “We recognise the pressure's there. We recognise there is a problem about the sustainability of the social care system.
“That has to be addressed and we are going to do that.”
Earlier this week a BBC report from the Royal Blackburn Hospital – rated one of the best in the country – struggling to cope with the huge number of patients arriving in A&E.
It showed a mum sitting on the floor to feed her baby, elderly patients waiting on trolleys, and staff close to tears with only enough beds for a third of the patients who needed them.
TIMELINE OF THE MID STAFFS SCANDAL
There were several public inquiries into events at Stafford Hospital, where hundreds of patients experienced “appalling and unnecessary” suffering.
It emerged that a culture of cost cutting meant patients were treated with inadequate care and frail and elderly patients were left without food and water.
Here is the timeline of what unfolded:
2002: The Commission for Health published a damning report into car at the hospital, citing a lack of governance, poor culture and staff being under constant pressure.
2003-2008: The hospitals death rate rises to 27 per cent above the national average and the trust received a zero star rating from the Healthcare Commission.
2007: The trusts board concludes there were "no clinically significant problems" which can be attributed to the high death rate. Patient group Cure the NHS is formed.
2009: The first public inquiry by the Healthcare Commission finds "appalling" care and says hundreds of patients died due to inadequate care and neglect.
Feb 2010: The independent inquiry by Sir Robert Francis QC, the second inquiry undertaken, finds a bullying culture that was target focused over patient's needs existed. He said: "An appalling failure at every level."
June 2010: Andrew Lansley, then Tory health secretary, announces a third public inquiry into how the regulators failed at Mid Staffs. It was also chaired by Sir Robert Francis, QC.
Nov - Dec 2010: Inquiry hears from 181 witnesses over more than 100 days of hearings.
Feb 2013: Final report published. Sir Francis made 290 recommendations to bring about a cultural change in the health service.
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