- Blackpool Teaching Hospital Trust had 410 more deaths than expected
- Officials say data is ‘experimental’ and figures only act as ‘smoke alarm’
- NHS England said trusts in question would be visited by a team of experts
By
Daily Mail Reporter
13:02 EST, 24 April 2013
|
01:47 EST, 25 April 2013
New data has shown that 2,997 people may have died needlessly in just one year at the 14 hospital trusts that are being investigated by health officials for having higher than expected mortality rates.
Following the publication of the report into serious failings at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh launched an investigation into the trusts because of their high mortality rates.
Nine of the trusts have been ‘outliers’ on the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) for two years running and the other five were identified by the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) as having higher than expected death rates.
Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester is just one of 14 trusts being investigated
The latest figures, which compare the number of patients who died following admission to hospital with the number who would be expected to die, show that within just one year there were almost 3000 more deaths than would have been expected.
The SHMI identified ten NHS trusts as having ‘higher than expected’ death rates – of these, eight are being investigated in the Keogh mortality review.
The other six trusts under review have been classed as having death rates ‘as expected’, including Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which actually had 15 fewer deaths than predicted.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was estimated to have 1,947 deaths but actually had 2,357 – a difference of 410, according to the figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Previous figures showed that there were 3,063 more deaths than expected at five trusts for the two years
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and the Blackpool trust were catagorised as higher than expected from October 2010 to October 2012.
The trusts had a combined total of almost 1,500 more deaths than expected in 2011 to 2012 – according to the figures.
Officials cautioned that the data is ‘experimental’ and the figures should only act as a ‘smoke alarm’.
Mortality data have been much debated in recent weeks following the temporary suspension of the children’s heart surgery unit at Leeds General Infirmary
Sir Bruce said: ‘A higher than expected mortality rate does not in itself tell us that a hospital is unsafe, for example, units delivering highly complex and specialist care could legitimately have higher mortality rates.
It is, however, a warning light that suggests trusts should investigate further to identify and resolve any care quality issues.
‘We want consistently high performing hospitals across the NHS.
‘Hospitals with persistently high Summary Hospital Mortality Indicator scores are currently under review.’
Mortality data have been much debated in recent weeks following the temporary suspension of the children’s heart surgery unit at Leeds General Infirmary.
Figures presented to Sir Bruce suggested that death rates at the unit were double that of other centres.
But medical bodies, doctors and other experts questioned the accuracy of the data used to support the suspension of surgery, which they said was unverified and not fit to base such a decision on.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the Health Select Committee: ‘[Mortality data] has to be treated with caution because it is excess mortality against a mean, it doesn’t mean that every example of excess mortality is an avoidable death, but it does mean you should investigate and that’s what’s happening.’
NHS England said that the 14 trusts under investigation would soon be visited by a team of experts including doctors, nurses and patient representatives.
A spokeswoman said that the teams will carry out ‘rapid responsive reviews’ and will observe the hospital in action, as well as taking part in meetings with patients, members of the public, and staff.
These visits will be followed up with unannounced visits, she added.
HOW DO THE HOSPITALS’ MORTALITY FIGURES COMPARE?
North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust
Latest SMHI rating: as expected
Observed deaths: 1,668
Expected deaths: 1,510.8156
Difference: 157.1844
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Latest SMHI rating: as expected
Observed deaths: 3,560
Expected deaths: 3,240.782
Difference: 319.218
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
Latest SMHI rating: as expected
Observed deaths: 978
Expected deaths: 891.3849
Difference: 86.6151
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected
Observed deaths: 1,788
Expected deaths: 1,553.0346
Difference: 234.9654
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected – a repeat outlier
Observed deaths: 2,236
Expected deaths: 1,938.045
Difference: 297.955
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: as expected
Observed deaths: 2,092
Expected deaths: 2,008.4612
Difference: 83.5388
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: as expected
Observed deaths: 1,821
Expected deaths: 1,688.1848
Difference: 132.8152
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected
Observed deaths: 1,707
Expected deaths: 1,505.3115
Difference: 201.6885
Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: as expected
Observed deaths: 1,247
Expected deaths: 1,262.3652
Difference: 15.3652 fewer deaths than expected
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected – a repeat outlier
Observed deaths: 2,174
Expected deaths: 1,854.6328
Difference: 319.3672
Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected – a repeat outlier
Observed deaths: 1,375
Expected deaths: 1,165.294
Difference: 209.706
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected – a repeat outlier
Observed deaths: 2,357
Expected deaths: 1,946.7956
Difference: 410.2044
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected – a repeat outlier
Observed deaths: 1,954
Expected deaths: 1,714.6409
Difference: 239.3591
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Latest SMHI rating: higher than expected
Observed deaths: 2,630
Expected deaths: 2,310.2554
Difference: 319.7446
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Stand by for huge bonuses and knighthoods.
norman miles
,
gloucester, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 10:00
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Stand by for huge bonuses and knighthoods.
norman miles
,
gloucester, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 10:00
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saves the government a lot of money in pensions
rapier
,
london,
25/4/2013 10:00
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Now do the same in Wales!
Hooray Henry
,
Cloudland, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 09:48
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There would be a huge drop in death rates, if doctors did not recieve a large cash incentive to let a patient die.
They receive well over a £100 cash in hand, from the fee you pay funeral directors, for each death certificate they sign. In many hospitals certain doctors are always queuing up at the bereavment office, for this extra perk. A nice little earner! This practice should be stopped. Surely signing a death certificate should be part of their job and not require extra payment?
eyespyagain
,
Colchester, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 09:43
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– Im, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 25/4/2013 9:11…i think in generally they mean people who went into hospitals with treatable conditions but for whatever reason they didn’t come out…its absolutly pointless to deny that the lcp has been misused on many occassions..a quick scan of the archives will tell you that and thats just the cases we’ve heard about
red-arrow-magnet
,
london, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 09:34
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I think this must come as no surprise to most people who have had prolonged contact with the NHS. Any illusion I had was shattered when our family witnessed how elderly patients were treated first hand. This now continues with all age ranges when time and time agin poor treatment, poor communication is dished out. Iit cannot but fail to be reflected in the death rates. But what do they care?
Telly123
,
UK,
25/4/2013 09:19
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the late late lady thatcher said the cut of point was sixty ,publish how many died on her watch in the early nineties , a hell of a lot more then any of these hospitals
puggy wuggy
,
torquay, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 09:18
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At the risk of many red arrows, what is a needless death in the context used here? Do you mean elderly sick people were allowed to die rather than prolong their suffering, or relatives who thought granny could be kept alive forever on the NHS have been disappointed because she wasn’t? The purpose of the NHS is not to prolong life to some date where the relatives who are being force fed rubbish about diets and surgery to keep you young forever finally grow up and realise that the best use for that part of its massive resources which are spent on patient care should be on the relief of suffering not prolonging it?
Im
,
Cambridge, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 09:11
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I Really do not get what you,re about DM or what you,re trying to do? You print this Hospital scandal which is absolutely terrible.But you don,t put in to print about the covered up 12,600 disabled and ill peple that died while being passed as fit for work when they clearly was not….So how comes you don,t reveal this? 12,600 figure is from the daily mirror investigates and are from 2012 so god only knows what the figures are now..
lindsmagic08888
,
london, United Kingdom,
25/4/2013 09:04
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