Neglected NHS cancer hospital is unfit for purpose, says report

An NHS cancer hospital has such crumbling buildings, out-of-date equipment and staffing problems that patients’ safety and quality of care are at risk, a report for health service bosses has warned.

Patients at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre who are acutely unwell or dying are receiving substandard care because it lacks the medical expertise and facilities needed to manage them properly, and its services need to be moved, an inquiry has found.

The group of experts who undertook the urgent review on behalf of NHS bosses have concluded that Mount Vernon has been neglected for so long that it can no longer operate safely as an important regional centre of cancer care, is unviable and as a result its services need to be moved and rebuilt from scratch elsewhere.

“Maintaining safety of patients cannot be guaranteed in the near future. Status quo is not an option. There is a need for urgent action. Current estate is not fit for purpose, particularly ward buildings for acutely unwell and end of life inpatients,” the report says.

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Source: The Guardian, 3 October 2019