Shropshire NHS trust moving in 'right direction', says health boss
The boss of Shropshire's two main hospitals says he believes the trust is moving in the right direction and steps are already being taken to make improvements.
NHS Improvement announced earlier this month that Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (Sath) would be placed into special measures following safety concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC inspected the trust in August and a report outlining the health watchdog's findings is expected to be published in the coming days.
Improvement director Sue Holden has been working with Sath, which runs both Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, for about 10 weeks.
Sath's chief executive Simon Wright says she has brought in senior consultant support and the trust is looking at the way it works.
Mr Wright said Sath is expected to get a funding boost of about £500,000 as a result of being placed in special measures, although the announcement about the exact amount is yet to be made.
He said the money would be used to ensure the trust 'improves at pace in the areas we have been found wanting'.
Delighted
Mr Wright said: "My experience of special measures to date has been one of support. People are wanting to help the organisation to be better and find ourselves out of the situation as soon as possible. I think we are going in the right direction."
He said he was delighted that the trust has been able to keep both of its A&E departments open 24-hours-a-day after managing to find additional staff.
However, he said there was still a need to recruit more permanent staff rather than locums.
A report to Sath's board, which meets tomorrow, says: "While the medical workforce gaps have been closed across all grades, the trust recognises that there are continued risks to sustainability due to the high dependency on locums, particularly at the critical middle tier level."
The trust says it is taking actions to mitigate these risks.
The report says the nursing workforce continues to be closely monitored, but remains an area of concern.
It adds: "Further efforts are ongoing to recruit substantively to the nursing team."
The report says that a bespoke and targeted recruitment campaign was launched to recruit emergency department consultants, middle tier and nursing posts.
It involved 'enhanced social media coverage with an investment of over £40,000 in advertising costs and agency introductory fees'.
New roles have also been developed to support the delivery of A&E services.
Sath's trust board will be asked to formally agree to halt the planned night-time closure of A&E in Telford when it meets tomorrow.
