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| My tears at 'appalling' A&E ward | My tears at 'appalling' A&E ward |
| (4 days later) | |
| An inquiry into the Mid-Staffordshire Hospitals Trust is due to report back to the government next week. | An inquiry into the Mid-Staffordshire Hospitals Trust is due to report back to the government next week. |
| A damning report by the NHS watchdog the Healthcare Commission has already said patients died due to the "appalling" state of emergency care at Stafford Hospital. | A damning report by the NHS watchdog the Healthcare Commission has already said patients died due to the "appalling" state of emergency care at Stafford Hospital. |
| Angie said working on A&E was heartbreaking | Angie said working on A&E was heartbreaking |
| One former nurse practitioner turned whistle-blower claims the warning signs were obvious long before the commission's involvement as she told Simon Cox, of Radio 4's, The Report. | One former nurse practitioner turned whistle-blower claims the warning signs were obvious long before the commission's involvement as she told Simon Cox, of Radio 4's, The Report. |
| Angie (not her real name) has no doubt what caused the crisis at the hospital, part of the Mid Staffordshire trust: chronic staff shortages, an obsession with targets and the drive for foundation status. | Angie (not her real name) has no doubt what caused the crisis at the hospital, part of the Mid Staffordshire trust: chronic staff shortages, an obsession with targets and the drive for foundation status. |
| The hospital's problems took a heavy toll on staff and patients alike. | The hospital's problems took a heavy toll on staff and patients alike. |
| "I would come home literally in tears sometimes because I felt I couldn't deliver the standard of nursing care that I wanted and that patients should be getting and indeed have the right to expect," she told The Report. | "I would come home literally in tears sometimes because I felt I couldn't deliver the standard of nursing care that I wanted and that patients should be getting and indeed have the right to expect," she told The Report. |
| "There just physically wasn't enough nursing staff available to go and attend to them and get a commode, help them get changed, change the bed - anything like that - and patients would be left for any amount of time before that was seen to. | "There just physically wasn't enough nursing staff available to go and attend to them and get a commode, help them get changed, change the bed - anything like that - and patients would be left for any amount of time before that was seen to. |
| "It used to literally break my heart." | "It used to literally break my heart." |
| Staff shortages | Staff shortages |
| Angie left Stafford Hospital last year. She was there for six years, with the last four spent in the accident and emergency department. | Angie left Stafford Hospital last year. She was there for six years, with the last four spent in the accident and emergency department. |
| Throughout this time the shortage of doctors and nurses was a major problem, according to Angie. | Throughout this time the shortage of doctors and nurses was a major problem, according to Angie. |
| "The nursing levels were extremely low, dangerously low. | "The nursing levels were extremely low, dangerously low. |
| "This issue was flagged up many, many times by myself and other colleagues through the internal incident reporting system and very little was done about it." | "This issue was flagged up many, many times by myself and other colleagues through the internal incident reporting system and very little was done about it." |
| Bullying claims | Bullying claims |
| But these issues were compounded by a target that patients should spend no more than four hours waiting in A&E. | But these issues were compounded by a target that patients should spend no more than four hours waiting in A&E. |
| "In principle it's a good idea," she said. "However the onus was solely on the four hour target - it was not about patient care, the comfort of a patient or the delivery of treatment." | "In principle it's a good idea," she said. "However the onus was solely on the four hour target - it was not about patient care, the comfort of a patient or the delivery of treatment." |
| If you said as a nurse, 'I'm not prepared to lie about this', you would be bullied and threatened Angie, former nurse at Mid-Staffordshire Hospitals Trust | If you said as a nurse, 'I'm not prepared to lie about this', you would be bullied and threatened Angie, former nurse at Mid-Staffordshire Hospitals Trust |
| Angie claimed that nurses were bullied and intimidated into pushing patients out of the ward more quickly than it was safe to do so and also to falsify the records. | Angie claimed that nurses were bullied and intimidated into pushing patients out of the ward more quickly than it was safe to do so and also to falsify the records. |
| "If the patient had gone over by half an hour or an hour they would backtrack so it would look on paper like they hadn't." | "If the patient had gone over by half an hour or an hour they would backtrack so it would look on paper like they hadn't." |
| Cutting corners | Cutting corners |
| Angie said some patients who were still unwell would receive treatment on the ward even though the records showed they were not on the ward. | Angie said some patients who were still unwell would receive treatment on the ward even though the records showed they were not on the ward. |
| "If you said as a nurse, 'I'm not prepared to lie about this', you would be bullied and threatened." | "If you said as a nurse, 'I'm not prepared to lie about this', you would be bullied and threatened." |
| Angie claimed that the hospital's drive to attain foundation status - which gives it control its own finances - also added to the pressure on staff and saw the hospital cutting corners with patient care. | Angie claimed that the hospital's drive to attain foundation status - which gives it control its own finances - also added to the pressure on staff and saw the hospital cutting corners with patient care. |
| "When the issues around staffing levels were raised it was, 'We haven't got the money to take on more staff because we're basically saving money.'" | "When the issues around staffing levels were raised it was, 'We haven't got the money to take on more staff because we're basically saving money.'" |
| Whistle-blower | Whistle-blower |
| Staff at Stafford Hospital have been subject to intense criticism, not least for failing to alert the authorities to the problems they were seeing day in, day out. | Staff at Stafford Hospital have been subject to intense criticism, not least for failing to alert the authorities to the problems they were seeing day in, day out. |
| Angie said when she turned whistle-blower her concerns were taken seriously initially but she received no feedback even when she was spoken to by an official investigator. | Angie said when she turned whistle-blower her concerns were taken seriously initially but she received no feedback even when she was spoken to by an official investigator. |
| "I still don't know if the Healthcare Commission are fully aware of my reports." | "I still don't know if the Healthcare Commission are fully aware of my reports." |
| A statement from the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust said staff at the A&E department raised operational issues including the accuracy of recording waiting times. | A statement from the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust said staff at the A&E department raised operational issues including the accuracy of recording waiting times. |
| New regime | New regime |
| It said, "The staff who raised the concerns did not classify themselves as whistleblowers. | It said, "The staff who raised the concerns did not classify themselves as whistleblowers. |
| "Their concerns were fully investigated in accordance with the trust's conduct and capability procedure." | "Their concerns were fully investigated in accordance with the trust's conduct and capability procedure." |
| The hospital is actively seeking to recruit more staff. | The hospital is actively seeking to recruit more staff. |
| And even Angie acknowledges that improvements have been made. | And even Angie acknowledges that improvements have been made. |
| "I do know they have taken on more doctors, and more consultants now in the department. And I know that Dr Chris Turner [the A&E consultant] is doing an excellent job and he's really trying to get the department up to standard." | "I do know they have taken on more doctors, and more consultants now in the department. And I know that Dr Chris Turner [the A&E consultant] is doing an excellent job and he's really trying to get the department up to standard." |
| The Report broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 16 April at 2000 BST. You can also listen via the BBC href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/radio/bbc_radio_four"> iPlayer or download the href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/r4report/"> podcast. |