Latest news with #NottinghamUniversityHospitals
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
GPs cut appointments after computer problems in Nottinghamshire
Some GPs say surgeries in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have cut down appointments as they deal with computer problems impacting the delivery of blood test results. Practices have complained of being "bombarded" with duplicate blood test results after new IT systems were introduced at hospital pathology labs in the city and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it had made some progress sorting out the difficulties and was continuing to liaise with doctors. Dr Carter Singh, a GP at the Willowbrook Medical Practice in Sutton-in-Ashfield, said the problems receiving test results had created "extra stress and workload for doctors who are already stretched". In the first week since the new information technology systems at pathology labs went live, there have been a series of problems reporting blood test results to GP computer software needed updating because the old software used at the pathology labs based at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham City Hospital and King's Mill Hospital in Ashfield was no longer supported. This is not the first time there have been issues around information technology used for blood tests. In September 2024, Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust declared a critical incident because of computer problems. Dr Singh said one of the biggest problems had been working out what results had been sent to GPs electronically from the labs. He said: "Rather than one test result coming through, we have been dealing with duplicated results and others sometimes sent four or five times, [that are] exactly the same results. "It takes a lot of effort and energy to file and navigate and it means less time for patients." The Nottinghamshire Local Medical Committee (LMC), which represents local GPs, stressed it is continuing to work to resolve problems. Michael Wright, the LMC chief executive, said: "It is frustrating that practices were reassured the new system would work … it is causing so many problems." He understood the testing of the system was made on "dummy patients" - and only when it went live for real patients did problems said one GP was starting work early at 4.30am to get on top of the difficulties ahead of seeing patients, a situation Mr Wright concluded is "clearly unsustainable".He added some practices had declared a "black alert" status, meaning they were struggling to maintain their normal levels of Wright said he was not aware that patient safety had so far been compromised but concluded "the time needed to deal with these issues has to come from somewhere".He understood some surgeries have been forced to reduce the number of appointments offered as they grapple with computer problems and, if issues persist, that may have to continue. 'Significant progress' In a statement, Caroline Goulding, director of Primary Care at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: "We have experienced some issues following the launch of new IT systems in the pathology departments at Nottingham University Hospitals and Sherwood Forest Hospitals on 30 June."This has been impacting the way blood test results are reported to GP practices. Whilst this has not affected the accuracy and quality of the tests, it has, regrettably, led to practices requiring extra time to process and study those results due to the way they have been provided."The ICB and hospital leaders have been working with GP representatives to work through these problems at speed and significant progress has been made."The new IT systems were required to replace an old system which was no longer being supported by the supplier and, as with many projects of this size and complexity, this can sometimes lead to some short-term disruption."We are sorry for the significant impact this has had on our GP practices and are grateful for their continued hard work and support during this."
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
What next for troubled Nottingham NHS trust after £1.6m fine?
The NHS is largely funded by public money paid for through taxes and national February, one of the busiest and biggest NHS trusts in England was given a record £1.6m fine over maternity failings in connection with the deaths of three University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust is already at the centre of the largest maternity review of its kind in the NHS, following hundreds of baby deaths and injuries. When it was fined at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, the judge said the trust was operating at a deficit of about £100m, and added there was "no money to pay any substantial fines without requiring the trust to make further cuts".District Judge Grace Leong considered other court judgements and guidelines for comparable offences before handing down the why was an already struggling, publicly-funded service given such a large fine, and what justice did the fine bring for the families the trust let down? The details of the case Adele O'Sullivan died on 7 April 2021 - just 26 minutes old - Kahlani Rawson died on 15 June at four days old and Quinn Lias Parker died on 16 July at two days old. NUH pleaded guilty to six counts of failing to provide safe care and treatment to the babies and their mothers, in a prosecution brought by the healthcare watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The court heard there were similar failings in all three cases, including a failure to expedite the delivery of the babies, not recognising serious conditions, communication issues and staff not being equipped to interpret anomalies in foetal heart monitoring. It was the second time the trust had been prosecuted by the CQC for maternity failings. In 2023, the trust was fined £800,000 over the death of Wynter Andrews, who died shortly after her birth at the Queen's Medical Centre in 2019. Until this year, that fine was the largest handed down for maternity failings. NUH prosecutions make up two of five maternity-related criminal prosecutions brought by the CQC. The watchdog gained powers under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated activities) Regulations 2014, in prosecution by the CQC is separate from any prosecution that could arise from a corporate manslaughter investigation, which was opened earlier this 2 June, Nottinghamshire Police said it was examining whether maternity care provided by NUH had been grossly negligent. How did the judge decide on £1.6m? In her sentencing remarks, District Judge Grace Leong said she would have to fix a "significant financial penalty" to mark the gravity of the offences, but also had to strike "a delicate balance"."I cannot ignore the negative impact that the fine will have on services to patients at a time when the NHS continues to face unprecedented challenges both in terms of insufficient funding, the backlog of patients waiting for treatment and the demands placed upon the trust's services from an ageing population," the judge was no ceiling to the level of fine the judge could meant the sentence was a matter of discretion, with the judge considering other sources of guidance - such as any High Court or Court of Appeal judgements - and other sentencing guidelines for comparable was reduced from a starting point of £5.5m, as the judge took into account the financial implications on the public body and its guilty pleas. How could the fine impact services? In response to the BBC, a statement from NUH chief executive Anthony May said: "We fully accept the findings from court, including the fine handed down by the judge. "The mothers and families of these babies have had to endure things that no family should after the care provided by our hospitals failed them, and for that I am truly sorry."We will work to ensure to minimise the impact of the fine on our patients, including ongoing efforts to improve our maternity services."NUH did not want to put anyone forward for interview, and did not wish to detail how the fine might impact services. Roy Lilley, former chairman of the old Homewood NHS Trust in Chertsey, Surrey - which later merged with Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust - and now an independent commentator on health service issues, said some impact on services would be "inevitable". "Clearly a chunk of money like £1.6m is going to have an impact on the trust's ability to operate."The day-to-day running of the trust is, of course, difficult enough with all the financial pressures but to have this kind of money taken out of its revenue balances, it makes it even more difficult," he said. Mr Lilley - who has not worked for NUH - added: "It will certainly slow down some of the plans that they had in terms of improvements.""Generally it has a very bad effect, a big impact on the trust's ability to respond," he said. Mr Lilley said it was possible for trusts to seek loans from the Department of Health of Social Care (DHSC) in the face of financial difficulty. The BBC understands while NHS trusts are expected to meet their legal and financial obligations - including prosecution fines - they can access loans in some instances. The trust's annual budget is £1.8bn. What does the fine mean to the families? The families affected by NUH's maternity failings have consistently called for the sentencing, solicitor Natalie Cosgrave - representing the parents of baby Quinn - said in a statement that the prosecution was "the only system that exists" to obtain Simpson, an associate clinical negligence solicitor who represented the families of Adele and Kahlani, told the BBC the trust's guilty plea was "some level of accountability, but it's only one part of a much bigger picture".To the bereaved families, it is individuals who should be held accountable, not just the trust as an organisation, Ms Simpson Simpson has also represented the families of Adele and Kahlani, as well as others, in civil claims against NUH. At each stage of the various investigations and proceedings they have endured - including inquests, internal reviews and court hearings - the families have called for more change and scrutiny. Ms Simpson said: "The judge was very clear that a fine is the only sentence that she can impose, and no fine is ever going to be enough when you've lost your child." During the sentencing in February, the earlier case of Wynter Andrews - who died 23 minutes after being born - was referenced several parents Sarah and Gary Andrews watched the hearing from the public gallery "as concerned parents", but did not know their daughter's case would be mentioned "quite so prominently". "I think for us it's important to highlight that this process is the only avenue that families have to get some accountability," he said."The judge is in a really difficult position, I feel, but we're counting pennies over babies' lives." Where does the money go? The fine is paid to HM Treasury - the government's finance ministry which controls public spending - as with any prosecution affected in this case will not receive any of the money from the trust was also told to cover prosecution costs of £67,755.23 and a victim surcharge of £ costs in this case will be paid to the CQC. The victim surcharge - which is imposed on offenders to ensure they hold some responsibility towards the cost of support victims and witnesses - goes to a general fund and not directly to those involved. That money provides a contribution towards Ministry of Justice-funded support services for victims and witnesses. The £1.6m fine is separate from the tens of millions of pounds the trust has paid out in damages for civil claims in relation to maternity care. What next for the trust? Nottinghamshire Police's investigation into the trust's maternity services - called Operation Perth - has seen more than 200 family cases referred to it so the separate maternity review by senior midwife Donna Ockenden is currently examining the testimony of more than 2,000 cases. The review began in September 2022 and closed to new cases at the end of May. Ms Ockenden's final report of findings is due to be published in June last week, the trust announced plans to cut at least 430 jobs in an attempt to save £97m in the next planned job cuts follow the government's instruction to all trusts to reduce the size of their corporate and support services, and were not as a result of the record fine, the trust said.
ITV News
10-06-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Families affected by Nottingham maternity scandal told data loss 'likely malicious'
A missing data file containing the details of cases was most likely deleted "maliciously". Nottinghamshire Police launched an investigation into the temporary loss of a computer file at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust. The file was recovered a few days after its deletion was spotted by the trust and led to more cases being added to the maternity inquiry. The trust remains at the centre of the biggest review of maternity failings in NHS history, being led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden. In a letter to families involved in the review from Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin, which has been seen by ITV News, it said the deletion was "most likely to have been done intentionally/maliciously rather than accidentally". Nottinghamshire Police said: "This investigation has been undertaken by my expert Cyber and Digital teams and has taken several months to complete," before adding: "We have not been able to find evidence sufficient to confirm the identity of the person responsible." Families affected by failings at Nottingham University Hospitals have said they are "distressed" and "appalled to hear this". In a statement, the Nottingham Affected Families Group said: "Nottingham families would like to thank the Police for their determined investigation. We are distressed that they were unable to find who did this. "We are appalled to hear this news, though sadly we are not surprised. "To know it is most likely an individual who most likely intentionally/maliciously deleted files of such importance is of grave concern. As families we all gave our trust to NUH staff in our most vulnerable state of life and we deserved better. "To know that there is most likely an individual who is capable of such behaviour is devastating for the already harmed and for the future of NUH safety. We call for openness at the worrying time and for the individual, their colleagues or anyone who knows anything about this to come forwards as a matter of urgency. This is a patient safety emergency.' NUH is the first trust to be prosecuted by healthcare watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) more than once after it was earlier fined £800,000 in 2023 for failures in the care of Wynter Andrews, who died 23 minutes after being born at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham in September 2019. Ms Ockenden chairs The Independent Review of Maternity Services into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - and found over 2,000 families' cases were included in the review. Hundreds of baby deaths took place at Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital in the past decade, which led to a public inquiry investigation. Anthony May, Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I would like to thank Nottinghamshire Police for their support in investigating this matter and we accept their findings. "Upon discovering this issue, the Trust informed Nottinghamshire Police and engaged fully in the investigation. We have put appropriate measures in place to secure the digital files so that this cannot happen again."
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NHS trust to cut 430 jobs in bid to save £97m
Hundreds of job cuts will be made by an NHS trust in an effort to help save more than £97m in the next year. At least 430 jobs are set to go at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust as part of a major transformation plan announced on Tuesday. It comes as the trust, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, has announced a new plan to "transform services and improve patient care". NUH chief executive Anthony May said the trust "had a duty to the taxpayer to spend within [its] means". The majority of job losses would be in corporate and support services as the trust seeks to reduce its salary bill and the reliance on agency and other temporary staff. The plan to change services will feature the use of new technology and a focus on prevention and treating people in the community. This includes a new digital app for patients to manage appointments and view test results, improved outpatient services to cut waiting times, and an expansion of theatres to increase day case operations by 5,000 per year. Mr May said the trust wanted to "create hospitals designed for the 21st Century". He said: "We know that we cannot make these improvements without making savings and have had clear instructions from government on the reductions needed in support services across the NHS. "While we have already made significant savings, we know there is more to do in the next three years to meet our financial targets and to help us to meet the needs of our patients and staff. "This will result in us having to make some difficult decisions in the coming years, in particular reducing our staff numbers by at least 430 this financial year." The trust said about 100 roles that could go had already been identified through its Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme. Mr May said the trust wanted to avoid making compulsory redundancies but they could not be ruled out completely. He added: "I know this will be challenging, but our plan will ensure our services are fit for the modern world and we will provide the best environment for our staff to provide care to our patients. "We will do everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies, by not replacing staff as they retire or leave for example, and we will do everything we can to protect clinical roles." The trust, which has an annual budget of £1.8bn, made £91.2m in savings last year but still overspent by £51.6m. Its current workforce amounts to the equivalent of 18,300 full-time staff, and employment costs make up 70% of the trust's annual budget. By Rob Sissons, health correspondent, BBC East Midlands The push to deliver efficiency savings is nothing new in the NHS but the modern day pressures makes the mission no easy task. Spend on agency and bank staff is being examined for savings but there are limits to how much this can be targeted as there is a need to maintain safe staffing levels and ensure that frontline clinical staff are not overburdened or suffer burn-out. Events can of course blow any savings plan off course and there are plenty of unknowns in the coming months. How bad will winter be is one of the big questions bosses ask every year and the inevitable strain that puts on health services can force up spending. Hospitals are planning for winter now in summer. Another cost pressure will be if doctors and nurses resume strikes over pay. The British Medical Association is currently balloting junior doctors - now called resident doctors - over whether they wish to take industrial action, with the result expected in July. The ambitious plan for new capital infrastructure in Nottingham including a new A&E and cancer treatment facilities has been put back to 2037, which leaves the trust having to deal with older facilities It is grappling with the biggest NHS building, maintenance and repair backlog of any trust outside London. That can lead to unexpected disruption. A recent inspection of an operating theatre roof recently revealed wiring problems that put it out of action, when there is pressure to use facilities as much as possible to bring down the waiting list backlog. The savings targets have been set - but delivering them was never going to be straightforward in the complex world of healthcare. Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Manslaughter case launched into Nottingham baby deaths Hospital staff strike in dispute over back pay Trust provides update on delayed NHS centre Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Nottingham baby data loss 'likely intentional or malicious'
A police investigation has found that a missing data file containing the details of hundreds of maternity cases was most likely deleted "intentionally or maliciously".Nottinghamshire Police launched an investigation into the temporary loss of a computer file at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust remains at the centre of the biggest review of maternity failings in NHS history, being led by senior midwife Donna force's cyber team has now concluded the deletion was "most likely to be the action of an individual" but the loss "was not caused or contributed to by any systemic corruption within NUH". In a letter to families involved in the review from Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin, which has been seen by the BBC, it said the deletion was "most likely to have been done intentionally/maliciously rather than accidentally".But the identity of the person responsible could not be determined, said BBC understands the file contained maternity documents, including details of some baby file was recovered a few days after its deletion was spotted by the trust and led to about 300 more cases being added to the maternity 2,500 cases are being examined by the senior independent midwife Donna Police also confirmed last week a corporate manslaughter investigation was under way to determine whether maternity care provided by the trust had been grossly negligent.
