Officials at a scandal-hit health trust have pledged to restore public confidence in its services, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust was rocked last year by shocking revelations that unnecessary surgeries were carried out, cancers were missed, and poor standards of care were delivered within its breast cancer care services.
An independent report released in November laid bare the “systemic failings” within the service and found that red flags and warnings were ignored.
It comes after an investigation was launched into the service, which is run from the University Hospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital, following concerns over the care being delivered for over a decade.
Questioning the trust’s response to the Aubrey Report, Councillor Dominic Haney, Liberal Democrat for Consett South, questioned the trust’s response to the damning findings.
Speaking at a scrutiny meeting, he said: “With failures that are so widespread and systemic, how can the public be confident and we be assured that it only affected this one department?
“What has been the undertaking in other departments elsewhere, because it doesn’t seem implausible that it could be more widespread?”
NHS bosses said the findings of the recent report are being used as a catalyst for a wider organisation reset and an improvement and reform programme.
Shafie Kamaruddin, Acting Medical Director at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Breast Service outcomes have opened up our eyes to see what other areas within the trust need support. We are primarily focusing on fragile services and supporting those. We have been open and transparent, and that’s part of the culture change.
“We are taking a strategy to address the governance process right across our services, which is ongoing. I hope that, over time, we will build confidence among patients and staff in terms of the quality of services.”
Councillor Chris Lines, Independent member for Sedgefield and committee vice-chair, vowed to continue holding the trust to account on its progress. He added: “This is such a serious issue that presents systemic problems within the trust.”
The trust previously admitted it was “far too slow” to act and did not have a “sufficiently curious culture to sense and seek out problems and make improvements”.
In a joint response shown to councillors, Steve Russell, chief executive, and Alison Marshall, Interim Chair, said: “We agree with the Aubrey Report’s findings that governance, leadership, and cultural shortcomings led to avoidable harm and distress.
“We acknowledge that this will result in a loss of trust in our services and in our organisation. We deeply regret the pain and anxiety caused by these failings, and we also recognise the impact on staff who felt unable to speak up or were not listened to when they did, to whom we also apologise.
“We are committed to transparency, learning, and action to ensure that such failures are not repeated. Our focus is on supporting those affected, making improvements to our breast services, restoring trust, and embedding a culture of openness, compassion, and accountability at every level of the trust.”
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
