By Isle of Wight Observer
MP Bob Seely says he is seeking answers to serious incidents recorded at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust in 2018 and 2019.
The figures – which have been published by HSJ following a Freedom of Information Act request – show 277 serious incidents recorded in in 2018 and 2019.
Bob said: “I am currently seeking answers to these figures. Some of the rise can be attributed to changes in the way serious incidents are reported. I would like the IOW NHS Trust leaders to explain these figures and reassure Islanders.
Bob wrote in the letter: “I understand that encouraging staff to report incidents is important and we do not want people to be afraid to raise concerns. It is also a positive sign that the Trust is committed to encouraging the reporting of incidents and to learning from them. However, I am concerned by the number of incidents reported by the Health Service Journal (HSJ). Can you tell me how the Trust compares to other NHS organisations on patient safety incident reporting and what more could be done to ensure Islanders can be assured of the highest standards of healthcare?”
“I have written to Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, seeking a meeting to ensure that he understands that I believe these issues are in part caused by a lack of additional funding which some other Islands in the UK receive.”
The trust was rated as ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission in April 2017 and was placed in special measures following findings which raised ‘significant’ concerns over patient safety. The trust was upgraded by the CQC in September 2019 to an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’.
