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Northern Ireland: Doctors considering quitting health service over pay, says BMA

A proposed pay settlement is making doctors consider leaving the health service, the British Medical Association (BMA) in Northern Ireland has said.

In a BMA survey of more than 1,000 doctors, 85% of respondents said the proposed uplift of 4.5% was too low.

The representative body said discontent was very high among junior doctors with 93% of them saying it was too low.

"When asked about their intentions as to the likelihood of them continuing to work in Northern Ireland, junior doctors said they were now more likely to leave because of the low pay award," said the BMA.

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Source: BBC News (31 August 2022)

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Northern Ireland: Dentists warn radical action needed to save dental services

Health service dentistry in Northern Ireland could be caught in a "death spiral" without radical action, more than 700 dentists have warned.

They say a combination of factors could make the service unsustainable.

These include a potential ban on dental amalgam metals used in fillings, budget pressures and a "financially unviable contractual framework".

The dentists have called on the Department of Health (DoH) "to show leadership and take action now".

A DoH spokesperson said the department "valued the important role" of dentists and was "aware of the ongoing pressures on dental practices".

In an open letter to Peter May, the top civil servant at the DoH, dentists from the British Dental Association (BDA) Northern Ireland warned that services were under "intolerable pressure".

The letter said: "Despite clear evidence and repeated warnings issued by the BDA about the death spiral health service dentistry in Northern Ireland appears to be in, we have seen inaction from the authorities."

The dentists added that a move away from health service dentistry was "well and truly underway" and dentists would "be increasingly driven out of health service dentistry to keep their practices afloat".

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Source: BBC News, 30 January 2024

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Northern Ireland: Community pharmacists warn of medicine shortages amidst rising costs

Shortages and rising costs of medicines could result in patients not receiving important prescriptions, community pharmacists have warned.

Commonly prescribed drugs used to treat conditions such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure and mental health are among those affected.

The Department of Health (DoH) said a support package worth £5.3m for the sector is being finalised. But Community Pharmacy NI said this "falls way short of what is needed".

David McCrea from Dundela Pharmacy said the price of some medicines had been raised "fiftyfold".

"As a community pharmacist for over 30 years, I have never witnessed the price of medicines rise this sharply," Mr McCrea said.

"It is becoming increasingly hard for us to afford to buy the medicines from wholesalers because we are not being paid the full cost of these drugs by the department."

Mr McCrea added the current situation was causing "financial stress" and was becoming unsustainable.

"The bottom line is that we are now facing the situation where we will not be able to afford to supply our patients with essential medicines, within weeks."

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Source: BBC News, 18 October 2022

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Northern Ireland: 'Shocking lack of information on winter health plans'

A member of Stormont's health committee has criticised the Department of Health over what they described as a "shocking" lack of information on how it plans to tackle winter pressures on the health service.

Alliance's Nuala McAllister said assembly members had been raising the issue of the department's winter preparedness plan since January, but that nothing had yet been published.

She said information provided to the health committee to date had been "inadequate" and lacking in detail, despite the service already facing pressures.

The department confirmed it is due to publish its winter preparedness plan on Thursday, which would identify steps being taken to "manage pressures".

These would include "enhancements for general practice, efforts to tackle ambulance handover delays and additions to community pharmacy services".

It added that it had already mobilised an extensive vaccination programme, to minimise the impact from winter infections such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid-19.

McAllister said the report was still too late.

"We have been raising the issue of the winter plan since January," she said.

"The minister and the department have not brought any information on what exactly they are doing to better prepare hospitals and staff for the pressures they are already facing."

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Source: BBC News, 15 October 2025

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Northern Ireland women face 'foetal scan discrimination'

Pregnant women in Northern Ireland face discrimination over not being offered early scans for foetal abnormalities, according to gynaecology experts.

Early scans are routine in the rest of the UK.

Several patients, who contacted BBC News NI, described the trauma they experienced after their "non-viable" pregnancies were not detected until about 20 weeks.

In Scotland, Wales and England antenatal screening which tests for anomalies is offered to all pregnant women in the first trimester – between 11 and 13 weeks.

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) said women in Northern Ireland have foetal abnormalities diagnosed "too late" and should not have to wait until their 20-week scan.

Dr Caitriona Monaghan, a consultant in maternal foetal medicine, said the late diagnosis can limit access to care.

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Source: BBC News, 3 October 2024

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Northern Ireland part of Covid inquiry to open in Belfast

On Tuesday, the UK Covid inquiry which is sitting in Belfast for three weeks will start hearing from the most senior politicians and health advisors in Northern Ireland about why decisions were taken and by whom.

This is module 2c of the inquiry, which is focusing on decision-making and political governance.

This module will investigate Northern Ireland specifically and will include the initial response, central government decision making, and political and civil service performance. It will also probe whether Northern Ireland's political nuances had any affect on the effectiveness of the response.

There were tensions between the political parties when senior Sinn Féin figures attended the funeral of ex-IRA leader Bobby Storey and when the DUP's Edwin Poots, then minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, said coronavirus was more common in nationalist areas.

The hearings begin with opening statements and evidence from Covid-19 Bereaved Families and Disability Action.

Core participants who have been named in advance include the former first ministers, Dame Arlene Foster and Paul Givan, and Michelle O'Neill, who was deputy first minster during the pandemic. Senior representatives from the departments of health, finance, the Executive Office, and the civil service will also be questioned.

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Source: BBC, 29 April 2024

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Northern Ireland new model of care for pregnant women launching

Anew model of care which the Public Health Agency (PHA) say will 'improve maternity services for women and babies in Northern Ireland' is being launched.

The new model, which will see women receive support from the same midwifery team during pregnancy, birth and in the early days after birth, is being rolled out across all Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts in the coming months.

‘Continuity of Midwifery Carer’ (CoMC) is a new model of care for women throughout their childbirth journey "that will provide positive clinical outcomes and higher care satisfaction", the PHA said.

Chief Nursing Officer for Northern Ireland, Maria McIlgorm said: “This is a very positive development for maternity services in Northern Ireland. There is a clear evidence base behind the Continuity of Midwifery Carer model which shows that when a woman knows their midwife it can make a significant difference to their experience and outcome.

“This woman and family-centred model of care will mean that women across Northern Ireland using our maternity services will receive support from the same dedicated midwifery team throughout their pregnancy, birth and postnatal period.”

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Source: Belfast Live, 12 April 2023

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Northern Ireland medical negligence costs double in a year

The amount of government money spent on medical negligence cases and legal fees in Northern Ireland doubled within a year.

Just over £20m was paid out during 2020-21 but that increased to more than £40m in the 2021-22 financial year.

Last year, £30.7m was paid out in damages, while £5.9m went on plaintiff costs and £3.7m in defence costs.

The increase in cost is being attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, 3,987 clinical negligence cases were open. Almost half (1,813) of all cases open in 2021-22 related to four specialties:

  • Obstetrics - 564
  • Accident and emergency - 456
  • Neurology - 407
  • General surgery - 386

There has been a stark increase in the number of cases relating to neurology in the past five years from 23 in 2017-18 to 407 in 2021-22.

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Source: BBC News, 24 April 2023

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Northern Ireland Health: Waiting list patient communication 'in disarray'

The system for communicating with patients on healthcare waiting lists in Northern Ireland is in disarray, the Public Services Ombudsman has found.

Its year-long investigation found that significant and repeated failures in updating patients amounted to "systematic maladministration".

The ombudsman urged the Department of Health (DoH) to work with trusts, GPs and others to address the failings.

DoH said it appreciated the distress and frustration of patients on lists.

The investigation found that failures by trusts across Northern Ireland to follow guidance meant that patients were given little or no information once a referral had been made. 

Commenting on the findings, Ombudsman Margaret Kelly said the investigation found a waiting list system "which is in disarray and sometimes even chaos".

"There is a lack of coherence between the different parts of the system, a lack of clear communication, and a lack of an overall agreed plan for improvement."

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Source: BBC News,15 June 2023

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Northern Ireland health system "one step from chaos"

"Bodies would have been piling up" if the Covid vaccine had not been available, the director of intensive care at Belfast City Hospital has said.

Dr George Gardiner, a consultant, also said his biggest fear would be having to stop routine cancer surgery. He has called for an end to "tribal politics" in Northern Ireland to allow transformation of the health service, so that cancer and coronavirus can be tackled in tandem.

He said the system was currently "one step from chaos" and warned hospitals will not cope with winter if Covid numbers continue to rise.

"We need to get everyone who can take a vaccine to take it now before the winter pressures are on us," Dr Gardiner added.

"The cancer surgery that we are doing at the minute is life saving. A few more Covid admissions, which could be prevented, will cause us to stop operating because we simply haven't got the capacity to do both."

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Source: BBC News, 7 September 2021

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Northern Ireland carers 'suffer shocking levels of poor health'

Unpaid carers in Northern Ireland are suffering from "shocking levels of poor health", according to the charity Carers NI.

In a survey of more than 1,600 unpaid carers across Northern Ireland, more than a quarter of respondents described their mental health as bad or very bad. One in five carers said the same about their physical health.

The survey also found some 40% had not had a break from caring during the previous year and 23% said support services in their area did not meet their needs.

Tracey Gililand, from Portadown, cares for her two disabled sons and said families like hers have been all but forgotten since the beginning of the pandemic.

"Carers are still having to ask for the full return of much-needed day care and respite services and it feels like we've been left to paddle our own canoes with no help," she said.

"No one knows our struggles, the many sleepless nights and exhaustion during the day. The impact on carers' mental health. The isolation that families like us experience that no one else sees," Ms Gililand explained.

Carers NI said it has called for a legal right to social care support for all unpaid carers, the appointment of an independent carers' champion to advocate for carers to government, and wider transformation of the health system.

Craig Harrison from the charity said carers had been "driving themselves into the ground", and were physically exhausted and in a state of constant anxiety.

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Source: BBC News, 8 November 2022

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Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust: 20 deaths or serious harm cases in maternity

At least 20 maternity deaths or serious harm cases have been linked to a Devon hospital since 2008, according to NHS reports obtained by the BBC.

A 2017 review which was never released raised "serious questions" about maternity care at North Devon District Hospital. The BBC spent two years trying to obtain the report and won access to it at a tribunal earlier this year.

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT) said the unit was "completely different" after recommended reforms.

A 2013 review by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) investigated 11 serious clinical incidents at the unit, dating back as far as 2008.

The report identified failings in the working relationships at the unit, finding some midwives were working autonomously and some senior doctors failed to give guidance to junior colleagues.

Despite the identified problems with "morale", the subsequent investigation by RCOG in 2017 expressed concerns with the "decision-making and clinical competency" of senior doctors and their co-operation with midwives. 

An independent review into midwifery in October 2017 noted "poor communication" between medical staff on the ward for more than a decade. The report identified a "lack of trust and respect" between staff and "anxiety" among senior midwives at the quality of care.

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Source: BBC News, 16 March 2020

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Northampton: Maternity unit needs 37 more midwives

A criticised maternity service needs 37 more midwives, about a fifth of its total midwifery workforce.

The Care Quality Commission has said Northampton General Hospital did not always have enough qualified and experienced staff to keep women safe from avoidable harm.

Figures obtained by the BBC show that 49 serious incidents have occurred in its maternity services in four years.

The hospital said it had undertaken "a lot of work" in the past 18 months and a recruitment process was under way.

According to a Freedom of Information Act response, between November 2018 and November 2022, the hospital had 278 serious incidents, with the highest level coming across maternity services, including gynaecology and obstetrics.

There are currently 37 vacancies for midwives but the trust said it manages staffing levels "closely and ensure that all shifts are covered by bank or midwives working altered shift patterns, to ensure that we are able to provide a safe maternity experience".

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Source: BBC News, 27 February 2023

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Northampton General Hospital has 'culture of bullying' say inspectors

A hospital showed "poor behaviour" towards junior staff and "a culture of bullying behaviour", health inspectors have said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded Northampton General Hospital from "good" to "requires improvement".

Inspectors also found the hospital's maternity and medical care "requires improvement".

Dr Sonia Swart, chief executive, said staff should be treated "the way we care for patients".

The CQC, which visited in June and July this year, also found that the hospital "requires improvement" in safety and leadership.

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Source: BBC News, 24 October 2019

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North West Ambulance Service declares 'major incident' over high level of calls

North West Ambulance Service has declared a “major incident” over a high number of calls. 

People were warned they could be asked to make their own way to hospital if their call was not life-threatening, while some patients faced delays. There were no signs the surge in demand was linked to coronavirus, a spokesperson for the service said. 

“North West Ambulance Service has declared a major incident due to the high level of activity in the North West region, in particular the Greater Manchester area,” the service said on Monday evening.

“If your call is not life-threatening, you may be asked if you can seek an alternative source of care or make your way to hospital by alternate means," the statement on Facebook said.

The Independent understands at one point hundreds of calls were live - which triggered the major incident alert.

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Source: The Independent, 3 November 2020

 

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North Tees NHS nurse awarded £460k after unfair dismissal

A whistleblower nurse who was sacked after warning that the workload on NHS staff had led to a patient’s death has been awarded hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Linda Fairhall, who had an “unblemished” career as a nurse for almost 40 years, was suspended and then sacked in 2016 after raising concerns about patient safety.

The 62-year-old nurse, from Billingham, has now been awarded a payout in excess of £462,000, her lawyers have said.

It is thought to be a record for lost salary and remedies.

Ms Fairhall had been a nurse at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust. She started working with the NHS in 1979 and had been overseeing a team of about 50 district nurses in Hartlepool when she was suspended.

In 2020, Ms Fairhall successfully challenged her employer's decision to dismiss her.

Though the trust tried to appeal the decision last year, the appeal court found in her favour again – saying the tribunal had reached “an unimpeachable decision” that she was dismissed for whistleblowing.

The trust says it is continuing to learn lessons and implement positive change.

She said: "If it changes things for others then it will be worthwhile. I'm relieved it's over.

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Source: The Northern Echo, 14 June 2022

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North East ambulance staff lacked critical medicines, CQC finds

Ambulance crews in the North East frequently responded to emergencies without access to life-saving drugs, a damning inspection report has found.

The study of North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NEAS) concluded patients were potentially put at risk by the poor management of medicines.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found a deterioration of services and rated NEAS's urgent care as "inadequate".

In response, NEAS said it had faced a year of "unprecedented pressures".

The damaging assessment follows the launch of a full independent NHS review into numerous "tragic failings" involving patients.

Announcing the review, the then health secretary Sajid Javid said he was "deeply concerned" about claims NEAS had covered up mistakes.

Whistleblowers have told Newsnight multiple deaths were not investigated properly because information was not always provided to coroners and families.

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Source: BBC News, 1 February 2023

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North East Ambulance Service: Cover-up claims to be probed by government

The government is to investigate claims an ambulance service covered up details of the deaths of patients following mistakes by paramedics.

It follows the Sunday Times report that North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) withheld information from coroners.

Labour's shadow health secretary Wes Streeting described the alleged cover-up as "a national disgrace".

Health minister Maria Caulfield said she was "horrified" and there would be a further investigation.

The newspaper reported that concerns were raised about more than 90 cases and whistleblowers believed NEAS had prevented full disclosure to relatives of people who died in 2018 and 2019.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Streeting asked why the regulator - the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - had failed to take action.

Ms Caulfield said that while both the NEAS and the CQC had both reviewed the allegations, further investigation was required.

The minister said non-disclosure agreements have "no place in the NHS", adding: "Reputation management is never more important than patient safety."

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Source: BBC News, 23 May 2022

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North Devon District Hospital staff shortages 'put patients at risk'

A hospital in Devon has been told it "requires improvement" as patient safety has been put at risk by staff shortages.

The North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in July 2021 following concerns about its staffing levels.

The CQC found the hospital’s medical care services were limited because there were not enough members of medical or nursing staff available.

But staff were praised for treating patients with compassion and kindness.

The report added that care was not always provided "in a timely manner" and the CQC’s head of hospital inspection, Cath Campbell, believes the situation is concerning.

She said: "When we inspected the medical care services at North Devon District Hospital, we found a high number of vacancies with a reliance on agency staff, and not addressing issues around the availability and responsiveness of medical staff for deteriorating patients. This put patients at risk of harm.

"Although nursing staff were quick to identify and act when they spotted patients who were at risk of deteriorating, medical staff did not always attend to these patients quickly."

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Source: ITV News, 3 November 2021

 

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Norovirus: Winter vomiting bug cases surge to five-year January high

The number of people hospitalised with a winter vomiting bug has surged to a five-year January high amid an ongoing crisis with hospitals across the country struggling to manage high volumes of patients.

Norovirus cases in hospitals are 80 per cent higher than the same period last year, according to new figures from the NHS. Last week there were 784 patients a day in hospital with norovirus, up from 650 cases a day the week prior.

NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care Professor Julian Redhead warned this surge in Norovirus was adding pressure to hospitals.

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Source: The Independent, 23 January 2025

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Norovirus hospital cases reach highest level ever

There are a record number of patients in hospital with Norovirus in England.

Data from NHS England showed 1,160 patients a day on average were in hospital with the vomiting bug last week – double the level at the same period last year.

It comes after a 22% rise on the week before, pushing it to the highest level since records began in 2012. It means more than 1% of beds are occupied by patients ill with the bug.

But Norovirus puts added pressure on hospitals because of the need to isolate and clean infected wards – nearly 300 empty beds a day were taken out of action because of this.

NHS England medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis said: "It is concerning to see the number of patients with Norovirus hit an all-time high and there is no let up for hospital staff who are working tirelessly to treat more than a thousand patients each day with the horrible bug, on top of other winter viruses.

"To help stop the spread of Norovirus, it is important to remember to wash your hands frequently with soap and water and avoid mixing with other people until you have not had symptoms for two days."

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Source: BBC News, 20 February 2025

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Norovirus hospital admissions soar by 45% as winter bug peaks

The number of patients in hospital in England with norovirus has jumped 45% to reach a new high for this winter.

An average of 823 hospital beds were filled each day last week by people with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms.T

This is up sharply from the previous week’s average of 567 patients.It is also higher than the figure at this point last year, which was 784 patients.

The data has been published in the latest weekly snapshot of the performance of hospitals in England this winter.

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Source: The Independent, 22 January 2026

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Norfolk hospital admits to 'failings' in care of 11-year-old autistic boy who died of sepsis

A hospital trust has admitted that a young autistic boy should still be alive had they delivered the appropriate level of care.

In an exclusive interview with ITV News, the day before the inquest into his death, Mattheus Vieira's heartbroken parents described him as "special", adding: "And special in a good way, not just special needs."

"People may think because he was autistic he was difficult, but it's not the case, he was very easy.

"He was the boss of the house, we just miss his presence."

Mattheus, aged 11, was taken to King's Lynn Hospital, in Norfolk, with a kidney infection. He struggled to cope with medical staff taking observations, and his notes recorded him as "uncooperative".

His dad, Vitor Vieira, told ITV News: "He doesn't like to be touched, even a plaster he doesn't like.

"And they say 'Oh he does not co-operate'. He was an autistic boy, what do you expect?

Mr Vieira believes staff did not understand his son's behaviour. Mattheus was non verbal and so unable to articulate his distress.

Observations were dismissed as "inaccurate" by some medical staff. In fact, they were accurate and indicated that his kidney infection had developed into septic shock.

He suffered a cardiac arrest and died, aged 11.

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Source: ITV News, 26 February 2024

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Norfolk and Suffolk NHS trust deaths report 'watered down to spare bosses'

A critical report into how a mental health trust mismanaged its mortality figures was edited to remove criticism of its leadership, the BBC has found.

In June, auditors Grant Thornton revealed how the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) had lost track of patient deaths.

But earlier drafts included language around governance failures that were missing in the final version.

NSFT and Grant Thornton said the changes were due to fact-checking.

A number of drafts of the report were produced, with the first dated 23 February this year.

The first version described "poor governance" in the way deaths data was managed, with governance also being called "weak" and "inadequate".

But many of these critical words were missing from the report released to the public, with "governance" also being replaced with "controls", according to leaked documents.

After losing her son Tim in 2014, Caroline Aldridge has been highlighting what she and others claimed had been the trust's undercounting of deaths.

"I think people need to know what was removed and what was changed, because I suspect that the first report is a lot nearer to the truth," she said.

Ms Aldridge added: "It takes all responsibility from governance, removing the words 'inadequate', 'poor', 'weak' governance, removing significant pieces of information that's not factual accuracy.

"We cannot have people watering it [the report] down when it's about deaths."

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Source: BBC News, 29 August 2023

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Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust warned by CQC over failures

An NHS mental health trust that has been the worst performing in England has been warned it must improve after failing another inspection.

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has been rated "inadequate" in the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

The CQC said it had served the trust with a warning notice that it had to act on to improve patient care.

The trust has been rated "inadequate" on three previous occasions by the health watchdog, as well as being the only one currently within the NHS's improvement regime for not meeting standards.

Following the latest inspection, its overall rating was downgraded from "requires improvement" - and three out of five measures assessed by the CQC, for safety, leadership and effectiveness, met its lowest grading.

The report said two wards were immediately closed to new patients following a CQC visit in November, after the trust was threatened with enforcement action if urgent measures were not taken.

Significant staffing problems, including an annual nurse vacancy rate of more than 17%, were also highlighted.

Staff at an adult long stay ward did not complete regular checks on patients supposed to happen every 30 to 60 minutes, which meant they were unaware if somebody needed help for periods of up to seven hours.

Inspectors also said there had been a severe deterioration on the trust's inpatient ward for children and young people - the Dragonfly Unit in Carlton Colville, Suffolk.

They found it was reliant on agency workers and lacked a permanent doctor.

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Source: BBC News, 27 April 2022

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