MP slams hospital trust failures

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has condemned local health bosses in the wake of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, released this morning, examining the A&E department at Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI).

The CQC conducted an unannounced visit to the RLI on 21 December 2011 to carry out a series of spot checks, the results of which led to the CQC announcing a full investigation into the hospital in January. The report, released today, documents the full findings of their visit.

Following the decision to close Westmorland General Hospital’s Accident and Emergency unit in 2008, most acute patients from the South Lakes are now seen at the RLI, as well as those from Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding area. The CQC report highlights how RLI suffers from a major lack of capacity, both in staff and beds, to deal with the volume of patients received.

He said: "The CQC’s report is a damning indictment of the decision to remove A&E services from Westmorland General Hospital four years ago. When the decision was taken, we told health bosses that RLI simply didn’t have the capacity to cope with patients from both Lancaster and the South Lakes, but they carried on regardless. Today’s report is the inevitable outcome of that appalling decision.”

“The CQC visited RLI on a quiet night, and still found major failings. I worry about what the CQC will find when they have had the chance to see  a busy night with ambulances queuing around the block.”

“We now need to work with the new trust chair brought in by Monitor last week to ensure this crisis is resolved as soon as possible.”