Walsall Manor Hospital ‘too slow’ to investigate deaths
Deaths at a Black Country hospital are not being investigated quickly enough, health bosses have been told.
A new report said Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust had struggled to carry out timely reviews into deaths at Walsall Manor Hospital.
Experts from Imperial College London also warned there was an ‘abnormal trend of deaths’ linked to fluid and electrolyte imbalance, which is most commonly found in people with alcohol problems.
But hospital bosses have queried Imperial College’s report and asked for ‘clarity’ about where they need to improve.
It comes after it was revealed in July that 10 per cent more patients died at Walsall Manor than expected last year.
The Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust report said: “The trust had received notification from Imperial College London, advising in an abnormal trend of deaths coded as fluid and electrolyte imbalance.
“The trust had completed a review, which included patient care and the feedback had been supplied to the college.
“Timely reviews of deaths had been of concern due to availability to conduct the reviews and provide feedback.
"Medical examiners would be mandatory from next year and the trust needed to make investment.”
However, chair of the board Danielle Oum said the trust needed more detail about the concerns raised.
Non-executive director John Dunn has called for a clear plan to set out ‘key milestones’.
Ms Oum told fellow board members the report was ‘overlong and insufficiently focused so that it did not support board assurance’ and added there was ‘a need to be clear on the areas to be improved upon and requested clarity on how soon a succinct set of recommendations would be presented’.
Walsall Council leader Mike Bird admitted the warnings highlighted by Imperial College were a concern.
He told the Express & Star: “As a local hospital we like to see people coming out having recovered. If there are concerns they need to be investigated thoroughly.
“We are seeing pressures on the health service, more and more people are living longer and going to hospital.”
The concerns around Walsall Manor come just a week after it was revealed up to 54 deaths were being investigated at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley.
