Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust runs Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.
Dr Sam Barrell was appointed Chief Executive in February 2015
Vanguard Healthcare
In May 2014 the Trust drew up a £320,000 contract with Vanguard Healthcare Solutions to bring down the list of 400 patients waiting for cataract surgery. The company agreed to perform 20 cataract operations on patients a day in a mobile theatre facility. It in turn sub-contracted to The Practice PLC, to provide two surgeons. They in turn sub-contracted to Kestrel Ophthalmics for the provision of a phacoemulsification machine, the hand pieces needed for surgery and the operating fluids and eye drops. 62 patients had surgery. Only 25 had a "normal recovery", which is a complication rate ten times greater than would normally be expected. Operations took place on 2, 3 and 4 May. On 6 and 7 May patients came to the Trust's casualty department with problem of severe corneal decompensation and the performance of the contract was stopped on 9 May. A report was produced in October 2014 which the Trust claimed it wanted to publish but was advised not to do so for fear that it would be defamatory and open the hospital up to legal action. It was however leaked to the Guardian.[1] Staff and patients were told that "a number of factors" led to an "unusually high level of complications".[2] The report was released eventually on 16 October.[3] It was criticised by the son of one of the patients who demanded that an independent investigation should examine what risk assessments the hospital carried out before outsourcing the work, a topic not covered in the report.[4]
Future plans
The Trust has submitted a bid to take over Weston Area Health NHS Trust, which announced in 2011 that it was not viable in its present form.[5]
Finance
In 2015-6 it anticipates a budget deficit of "around £5m".[6]
The trust has a radiotherapy unit in a building constructed using the Private finance initiative. It gets an additional £800,000 per year from the commissioners to assist with the extra costs this generates, but has a shortfall of £3.3 million as a result.[7]
See also
References
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