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Professor Sir Bruce Keogh to investigate hospital outliers

As announced in today’s Prime Ministerial statement on the Francis Report, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh is to lead an investigation into hospitals that are persistent outliers in hospital performance and provide practical support.

Full terms of reference for the investigation, including which measures will identify the hospitals to be covered, will be published at the end of next week (update 15 February 2013 – the terms of reference have now been published). However, we can announce today that the first five hospital Trusts confirmed are:

  • Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust
  • Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Each of these has had outlying poor results for a key mortality measure (Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator) for a period of two years.

Professor Sir Bruce will undertake this investigation in his joint role as NHS Medical Director at the Department of Health and Medical Director of the NHS Commissioning Board. The Care Quality Commission, Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority and Clinical Commissioning Groups will all be invited to be involved in the process.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh said: “Each of the hospitals we identify today is already under scrutiny by regulators. This clinically-led and practical investigation will allow me to assure myself, Parliament and patients that these hospitals have everything they need to improve.”

If you want to submit any information or raise any concerns you may have about any of the 14 hospital trusts covered by this review you can do so on the NHS Choices website.

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