NHS trust accused of failing to investigate deaths

One of the north-west of England's biggest healthcare trusts has responded to allegations it failed to properly investigate claims patients died or were harmed during surgery.

Northern Care Alliance (NCA), which runs four hospitals in Greater Manchester, including Salford Royal Hospital, was put under an NHS enforcement notice to improve patient safety, in June.

But whistle blowers have now told an investigation by the Independent and Channel 4 that they were discouraged from reporting concerns.

The trust has told the BBC it is working to address staff concerns and has "clear processes to investigate incidents".

A spokesperson for NCA said the trust changed the way it was organised in response to demands by NHS England to improve standards in surgical wards, tackling backlogs in spinal and gynaecology services.

But the investigation found patients are alleged to have been "left dying or in pain" in overcrowded A&E corridors, before then receiving invasive treatments which might have been avoided if there was no delay, the investigation claims.

Other allegations raised in the report include staff suggesting their accounts of serious harm or death are "shut down or not investigated properly".

"Like many NHS organisations, we're facing challenges," the statement said.

"We are working to address those concerns and will continue to listen when colleagues tell us we haven't got something right, so that we can keep learning and improving."

It added: "We have clear processes to investigate incidents and learning from these is an area we need to prioritise."

The trust highlighted "a number of routes" available for staff to raise their concerns, saying it had also brought in an independent senior nurse to "strengthen our approach to responding to concerns raised".

It also responded to claims of corridors being overcrowded.

"Like many other organisations, we sometimes have to provide care for patients in corridors and other temporary escalation spaces," the statement read.

"This is due to significant pressures on patient flow, including waits in A&E, delayed admissions and transfers, insufficient bed capacity and delays in discharge and transfer of care across pathways."

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