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Hospital chief quits over 12-hour waits in casualty
Anna Davis5 Feb 2009
A London hospital boss has quit in disgrace after patients were left for 12 hours in A&E.
Tara Donnelly was forced out as chief executive after West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth tried to hide a major crisis in its casualty ward.
At least eight patients had to wait on trolleys for 12 hours but bosses failed to report it to NHS headquarters.
The cover-up meant doctors from other hospitals were not asked to send emergency help to wards over-run with sick patients.
It comes amid growing concern that London's accident and emergency units are in chaos as snow-related injuries and cases of the winter vomiting bug soar. London Ambulance Service has complained that patients are being forced to wait too long outside casualty units across the capital.
The situation has become so bad that the health service has issued an appeal to people to stay away unless they have life-threatening injuries. The cover-up at West Middlesex Hospital comes amid a crisis in the London health service.
Today it can also be revealed that:
● The chief executive of London's only specialist trauma trust, Barts and the London, has stepped down amid accusations of mismanagement. Julian Nettel's departure comes after the collapse of the trust's computer system which left thousands of patient bookings in chaos.
● Finance director Paul Corrigan, who was in charge of improving health spending across the capital, is leaving. He is at the centre of a row over “cronyism” payments.
● Performance boss Malcolm Stamp, in charge of forcing hospitals to meet government targets, is also stepping down amid claims London's NHS is not improving fast enough.
● Two other hospital chief executives have also announced they want to leave. Bosses at Mayday healthcare trust in Croydon and South West London and St George's mental health trust in Tooting are stepping down for personal reasons.
NHS London — the central health authority in charge of hospital trusts — is now under growing pressure from the Department of Health over the performance of hospitals in general.
Geoff Martin of London Health Emergency said: “This shows there is a complete breakdown in the senior management and structures of the NHS in the capital.
“You can't call it anything else but chaos. We have top brass walking away from major structural problems.”
The health authority denied that the system was in meltdown and insisted that the departure of six top executives was “not unexpected”.
A spokesman said there were more than 70 chief executives in London and blamed the cold snap for the A&E crisis.He said: “This winter, London's NHS has coped well with additional pressures. The dedication and commitment of our staff was shown again this week during the heavy snow. The NHS in London continues to go from strength to strength with improved performance and a recognition from the public that services are getter better.”
The problems at West Middlesex Hospital began on 19 January, when wards buckled under the weight of demand and eight patients were marooned in casualty for a whole day. The Government target for admitting patients from A&E into hospital is four hours.
In the statement, hospital trust chairman Sue Ellen said: “The board has launched an internal investigation to review how the hospital can ensure it avoids unnecessary waiting times in the future.”
But health chiefs were accused of “scapegoating” 38-year-old Ms Donnelly — said to live in Chiswick with her husband and two children — who joined the trust in February 2007 and stepped down on Tuesday.
An insider said: “Getting rid of one of the youngest and newest chief executives is like shooting Bambi. It is stunning that someone of her calibre should be let go after sending in some forms late. She oversaw a major turnaround of the trust's finances and performance.”
In a separate development, Mr Nettel, boss of Barts and the London, stepped down on 30 January amid new claims that breaches in waiting time targets had not been recorded properly.
Mr Nettel, who is believed to be paid £115,000 a year, was involved with the failed plan to build a £1 billion “super hospital” at Paddington Basin.
A spokesman for Barts and the London said: “We continue to work towards becoming an NHS Foundation Trust and Julian's resignation will not impact on this.”
Ruth Carnall, chief executive of NHS London, said Mr Stamp had overseen “significant improvements” to London hospitals. He is moving to be chief executive of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. She said Professor Corrigan made “a valuable contribution” to NHS London.
Reader views (10)
She did English at University, is not a doctor, yet she was Chief Exec of a hospital in charge of life and death decisions over patients. Brilliant!
- Hugh, London, 05/02/2009 22:33
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Re-advertise the post at 40% of the present salary.
stanno
- Stanno, Ealing UK, 05/02/2009 22:00
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I think it is most unfortunate this article has personalised these events to individual Chief Executives. The real villains are politicians who have loaded the NHS up with irrelevant targets which bear no reality to patient care. Barts and The London achieved 96% on its waiting times - yet the Trust and the CEO are crucified for failure. Similarly, the failed computer system was imposed on Trusts nationally.
- Bill, Tower Hamlets, London, 05/02/2009 17:36
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I lived in Isleworth 20 years ago and the West Mid back then was a nightmare ... at least somethings haven't changed ...
- Nickie, London, 05/02/2009 17:32
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"An insider said: “Getting rid of one of the youngest and newest chief executives is like shooting Bambi.""
I wonder if the same insider would like to offer a colourful analogy for leaving emergency patients waiting on trolleys for 12 hours.
Perhaps there were some factors contributing to the failure that were outside of Ms Donnelly's control. However, it is difficult to see how a decision to cover up the failure is anything other than her responsibility.
If there is any injustice here it is probably the fact that in our rotten public sector she might turn up in some other well paid position or that she gets paid off with some outrageous sum.
- Andrew, Hampton, 05/02/2009 17:05
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In the meantime NHS is trying to downsize Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield and its A & E!
- Brian, Enfield, 05/02/2009 15:17
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As usual, the reporter doesn't let the truth get in the way of a 'good' story. The crisis is not about health care but managing the bureacracy of patient treatment. Neither is it linked to the increased demnad from winter ailments. The request for people to stay away is aimed at those people who go to A&E instead of maing an appointment to see their GP. It is amazing what people turn up at A&E for. And then we get overpaid journalists rattling off alarmist tripe just to get their story in.
- Alan Carter, Brentford, Middlesex, 05/02/2009 14:16
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She might be awarded a peerage.
The problem in the NHS is that their chief executives are not interested in patients - they prefer to "doctor" figures to make themselves look efficient. If we were to sack 75% of managers we could appoint more doctors and nurses and other anciliary staff who work tirelessly to improve patient care
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 05/02/2009 14:10
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And the compensation bill paid to those who were dismissed was how much????
- Jeremy E, London, 05/02/2009 14:00
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Is it suprising that any organisation which boasts over 70 `Chief Executives` is chaotic ? The NHS is littered with egotistical managers presiding over their empires whilst medical staff fight to maintain a degree of sanity in what is supposed to be healthcare regime. I have no doubt that any `executive` that walks away under a cloud will stroll into a similar position elseware and then start all over again. Madness.
- John E., Northants, 05/02/2009 11:44
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