West Mid Ranked Amongst Worst Performing Trusts

Audit Commission finds university hospital is 'failing to meet minimum standards'

Independent watchdog, the Audit Commission, has found West Middlesex Hospital to be amongst the capital's seven worst performing NHS Trusts stating it is 'failed to meet minimum standards' over the last financial year.

Andy McKeon, Audit Commission Managing Director of Health, said, "The financial performance for the NHS across London is mixed to say the least. There are some good NHS trusts whose work in finance should be a lesson for others and the PCTs in London have put in a strong performance. But some trusts clearly have historic problems and those scoring bottom marks need to take urgent action.

"These are financially uncertain times and with an expected budgetary squeeze on the horizon it’s reassuring that most NHS trusts and PCTs in England are managing their money well. But the detail also shows that there is room for improvement, particularly if future pressures to maintain quality of service and improve productivity are to be met."

Nationally, the Commission found that only a handful of trusts have failed to meet minimum standards this year. Most NHS trusts are performing well with a few reaching the highest rating but seven have failed to meet minimum standards overall during the past four years.

In 2008/09 auditors assessed England’s 152 PCTs under a new and more demanding UoR regime. The assessment considers how they manage their finances, workforce and assets to deliver value for money, and how they govern themselves.

September 30, 2009