West Suffolk Hospital

West Suffolk Hospital is a small district general hospital in Bury St Edmunds, England. It is managed by the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

West Suffolk Hospital
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Main entrance
Shown in Suffolk
Geography
LocationHardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Coordinates52.2316°N 0.7092°E / 52.2316; 0.7092
Organisation
Care systemNational Health Service
TypeGeneral
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds500 (approx)[1]
History
Opened1973
Links
Websitewww.wsh.nhs.uk
ListsHospitals in England

History

The hospital was built in a former Ordnance Depot in Hospital Road in Bury St Edmunds.[2] It was opened as the Bury and Suffolk General Hospital on 4 January 1825.[3] It was extended in 1861 and balconies were added in 1908.[2] It became the Suffolk General Hospital in 1902 and the West Suffolk General Hospital in 1929.[3]

After joining the National Health Service in 1948, it moved to Hardwick Lane in Bury St Edmunds in 1973.[3] The hospital received extensive publicity when Myra Hindley, the Moors murderer, died there in November 2002.[4] The Marquess of Bristol, whose former home was Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds, opened a new Friends of the Hospital shop in June 2013.[5]

Services

The hospital provides accident & emergency, maternity, oncology and palliative care services.[6]

Investigation into anonymous letters

After a member of staff had written anonymously to the family of Susan Warby, a patient who had died whilst under treatment at the hospital, staff were asked to provide handwriting samples and fingerprints to a serious incident enquiry.[7] Senior staff expressed serious concerns that these efforts to identify a whistleblower might inhibit the future reporting of safety issues.[7] At an inquest into the death which commenced at Suffolk Coroner's Court on 16 January 2020,[8] the coroner called for a police investigation into the death.[9] Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care requested an independent review into the treatment of whistleblowers at West Suffolk Hospital.[10] The inquest concluded in September 2020 making serious criticisms of the management of the Intensive Care Unit.[11]

The family of Horace Nunn also received an anonymous letter after Nunn died following suboptimal care at West Suffolk Hospital. The hospital had not told the family about problems with Nunn's care before a whistleblower sent them a letter.[12] A whistleblower alleges a doctor involved in Nunn's care had previously endangered patients by injecting himself with drugs while on duty. Investigation and disciplining of possible whistleblowers is still continuing.[13]

Performance
Four-hour target in the emergency department quarterly figures from NHS England Data from https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

In January 2018 the hospital was rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, one of only seven general hospitals in England awarded the highest possible rating. The end-of-life service in particular was praised.[14]

The Care Quality Commission conducted an inspection of West Suffolk Hospital between September and October 2019. The inspection’s report was published on 30 January 2020, within which the hospital’s rating had reduced by two grades to ‘Requires improvement’. The components of the new grading comprised ‘Good’ for its ‘effective and caring’, and ‘Requires improvement’ for its ‘responsive’, ‘well-led’, and ‘safe’ categories. The CQC’s specific areas of concern comprised the hospital’s culture, organisational responsiveness, and maternity services.[15]

References
  1. "Annual report and accounts 2018/19" (PDF). West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. 28 May 2019. p. 10. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  2. "Suffolk General Hospital". Bury Past an Present. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  3. "West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds". National Archives. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. "Myra Hindley dies in hospital". guardian.co.uk. 15 November 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  5. "Marquess cuts ribbon on bigger shop". Bury Free Press. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. "Clinical services". West Suffolk Hospital. West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  7. "Doctors at West Suffolk hospital 'too scared' to report safety issues". The Guardian. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  8. "'Witch hunt' to find Suffolk Hospital surgery". BBC. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  9. "Anonymous letter prompts police inquiry into hospital death". The Guardian. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  10. "West Suffolk Hospital faces inquiry after 'witch-hunt' for whistleblower". The Times. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  11. "Inquest finds West Suffolk Hospital mistakes were contributing factor in Bury St Edmunds mum's death". Suffolk News. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  12. "West Suffolk hospital faces fresh questions over whistleblower tipoffs". The Guardian. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  13. "Hospital whistleblower raised alarm over doctor seen injecting himself". The Guardian. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  14. "West Suffolk Hospital rated as 'outstanding'". BBC. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  15. "West Suffolk Hospital". www.cqc.org.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
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