Penny Mordaunt MP: Strong leadership is the key to consistent quality and safe care.

I spoke to Mark Cubbon the new CEO of the QA this morning regarding the CQC report published today. The report highlighted serious failing in care in particular vulnerable patients and was highly critical of the leadership team at the Trust.

Although the report has just been published, the QA were told the findings earlier this year and have already moved to make some changes. A new Leadership team is being recruited and all those posts will be in place in October. Other work has gone on to address the issues in the emergency department and in the acute medical unit as well as their being a major focus on getting patients discharged when they are ready to do so. We also discussed the reliance on temporary staff which has made it harder to get consistently of care being provided.

I have suggested a number of things and made a number of offers of how I and our other local MPs could help the QA. This included helping focus on other areas of the health economy which could alleviate pressures on the hospital and securing funding for any new initiavtives. I also continued to push a local solution to hospital discharge which I think would help the QA greatly.

In the past when the QA has had serious failings they have been tackled through strong leadership and sticking to a methodical plan. We need to do the same now. Our patients need consistent quality and safe care, and to go home when fit to do so. We must ensure the QA delivers both in short order.