Patient safety fears prompt no confidence vote at trust

Staff at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust have passed a ‘no confidence vote’ in its senior management because of patient safety concerns.

Unite, along with other staff side unions, has passed a vote at the trust, which is currently in special measures and encompasses Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham and District Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital and County Hospital in Louth.

In a letter sent to interim trust chair Elaine Baylis, the staff side committee highlighted problems with understaffing and said significant concerns had been raised on a number of occasions.

The letter read: “These issues we now believe are so significant that there is now an irretrievable breakdown in partnership working and the staff side committee has no confidence with their trust board.”

Unite also called for regulators to revisit the trust for a more thorough investigation.

Full story in the HSJ, 18 December 2018