Leadership at Mid &South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs our hospitals at Broomfield, Basildon & Southend, been rated inadequate after staff morale was found to be among the lowest in the country, there were “persistent” safety failures and it had a poor behavioural culture.
We have sent the following question to the Trust, copied to our MP, County Councillor and Integrated Care Board: “Please would you ask the Non-Executive Directors (NEDS) and Governors of the Mid & South Essex NHS Foundation Trust why they didn’t identify and address the inadequacies of the Trust’s Leadership before it took CQC to find it and if they are now considering their positions? This is another finding and report by CQC of inadequacies in this Trust. It seems that the NEDS, Governors and the Senior Leadership Team have been consistently negligent in their care for the patients of the Trust. [We are] also cogniscent of the oversight role of Mid & South Essex ICB.”
The new Chief Executive, who started in November, said: “We are deeply sorry for having failed our patients and staff. We know that they deserve better from us.” The Trust’s children and young people’s services were criticised in September and Basildon Hospital was rated inadequate in October. CQC reports: “Serious and systemic failures in leadership” had put people at risk and made staff feel undervalued.” Despite numerous improvement programmes, leaders continuously failed to deliver. “Staff across all three hospital sites told [CQC] they felt disconnected from senior leaders, undervalued and unable to raise concerns without fear.” “Many described a culture where poor behaviours went unchallenged and where financial pressures were perceived to take priority over quality and safety.”
- Only 65% of mandatory reviews of deaths in its care were completed on time
- Staff engagement and morale were among the lowest in the country
- The trust was among the worst-performing nationally for ambulance handover delays and cancer waiting times
- A new operating model introduced in November 2024 was causing confusion about roles, responsibilities and accountability
However, CQC said the Trust recognised the challenges it faced and leaders showed awareness of the improvements needed.
Our Chair had a very satisfactory experience taking someone to Broomfield A&E on Friday evening. He said “As soon as we were triaged immediate treatment started. [All the staff] were professional, kind, treated everyone with compassion and were smiley faces. Under extreme pressure they were an absolute credit to the Hospital and Trust. The ‘frontline staff’ must be congratulated on maintaining their professionalism and composure despite the pressures they are under. They, as well as us patients and public, deserve so much better from the middle and top management.” This is also being communicated to the Trust.
Another Resident Doctors’ strike for five-days from 14 November is expected to cause significant disruption, particularly in hospitals. These strikes must stop. Patients on long waiting lists must be prioritised, along with reducing NHS pressures. Do the Resident (sic) Doctors have public support?
Health leaders are warning that NHS services and jobs will be cut unless £3bn more is allocated by the Chancellor in the Budget tocover unexpected costs,including the costs of redundancies and strikes, and paying more for medicines.
Age UK has urged the government to get a grip on long A&E waits. The plea comes in a report detailing “heartbreaking” stories of how older people are suffering, spending hours in corridors and side-rooms. It highlights cases of people being left in their own excrement, having blood transfusions and even dying in these make-shift treatment areas. Older people were much more likely to experience long waits, with data showing one in three over 90s attending A&E in England last year faced a 12-hour wait or more. The government said the situation was unacceptable, but added it was taking action.
Data for week 42 (27 October-2 November) shows:
- influenza activity increased; this is an unusually early start to the flu season; whilst levels are reasonably low;
- COVID-19 has decreased activity, circulating at baseline levels.
- respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) showed increasing activity but is still circulating at baseline levels.
- Norovirus continues increasing and is higher than average for this time.
The winter flu season has begun five weeks earlier than usual and the UK is facing a long, tough drawn-out flu season, the NHS boss is warning. There’s “no doubt” this winter will be one of the toughest the health service has faced. Lots of vulnerable people are still to be vaccinated to get protected. Those eligible for the free vaccine are urged to come forward quickly for it. More than 13 million people have been vaccinated so far this year, but that is still more than 5 million below the number who were jabbed last winter. The thought of a long, drawn-out flu season has kept the NHS Chief awake at night. Unfortunately, it looks like that fear is becoming reality.
“Australia has just endured its worst flu season on record — over 410,000 cases — and all the signs suggest the NHS will face similar challenges in the months ahead. From December through to March, our hospitals will be at capacity.” Flu cases are rising quickly among children and young people – and will soon spread across older age groups. People eligible for the flu vaccine should get protected. Last year nearly 8,000 people died from flu and in 2022-23 there were nearly 16,000 deaths.
In the “biggest change to sexual health services since the 1960s”, the oral emergency contraception pill (Morning After Pill) will be available for free to women from almost 10,000 pharmacies across the country without needing to see their GP or get an appointment at a sexual health clinic.
Vaccination crucial as meningitis cases increase. Latest data reveals 378 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) were confirmed in 2024-25. Children and young adults, particularly university students, remain at risk. Whilst meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia are rare, they can be devastating, life changing and sometimes deadly. Two vaccines protect against the main causes of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia. The MenB vaccine is offered to infants at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and one year of age, as part of routine NHS vaccinations. The MenACWY vaccine protects teenagers against four strains and is usually given in school Year 9 (aged 13 to 14). All teenagers remain eligible for the MenACWY jab until their 25th birthday, so they can get the vaccine if they missed out at school.
Brand-new Thurrock Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is open, offering faster, local, vital tests and scans for thousands of local residents, without needing to go to hospital. This state-of-the-art facility will deliver 75,000+ additional diagnostic appointments every year, significantly reducing waiting times and supporting faster diagnosis for patients. Other planned CDC sites include Southend (late 2025), Braintree (2026) and Pitsea (2026/27).
Thanks to Donors!: Crouch Vale Medical Centre has Wheelchairs again. If you need one for an appointment ask at Reception – and PLEASE return it! Our weekly newsletter includes everything we’ve published in the previous 7-days. Libraries provide online services and help with internet access. For welfare information and subscription to our newsletter, email swfhealthsocial@outlook.com or leave a voicemail on 01245322079.
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