MInister faces demo
11:18am Wednesday 23rd September 2009 in North West
HEALTH minister Andy Burnham faced a surprise double demo from health protestors at a routine constituency surgery meeting.
An 11-strong group from Stafford’s CURE the NHS led by Julie Bailey turned up at Hindley Leisure Centre to voice their concerns over an inquiry ordered last week by the Leigh MP into events at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and March 2009 when hundreds of people suffered premature deaths and many more unacceptable care.
He also faced a barrage of questions from the family of former Leigh Infirmary nurse Eileen Cubells, 63, who have taken their complaints about her death at Wigan Infirmary in November 2007 to the Health Care Ombudsman and called in the coroner.
Her son, Miguel, of Ferman Drive, Hindley, said: “We also discussed with Mr Burnham the appalling figures in regard to unexpected deaths at Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, between 2004 - 2007 inclusive when 690 patients died unexpectedly.”
He called for a public inquiry into these deaths and for action on what he claims is the unacceptable way complaints are dealt with by the NHS.
Miguel, who plans to launch an action group to fight for justice for those who have died, said: “We have experience of progressing a complaint at Wigan infirmary, it is not easy, you have to be very strong, determined and focused to make any headway.
“We are making good progress now since we have moved our complaint away from the Trust.”
Mr Burnham said he would contact the Care Quality Commission in regard to the deaths in the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Trust.
Protest leader Julie, whose started the Stafford group following her mum’s death, said: “The inquiry’s terms of reference Mr Burnham ordered are far too narrow and will not identify why things went so horribly wrong.
“The inquiry will hear almost all the evidence behind closed doors and that is not good enough. It has to be done in public.
“I am pleased that Mr Burnham listened to us and look forward to convincing him that the inquiry has to be widened and held in public.”
Mr Burnham agreed to meet with Cure in Stafford to go into greater detail.
A WWL Trust spokesman said more lives have been saved in local hospitals this year than in the past.
The Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust has saved over 214 more people in the year ending March 2009 than in the same period a year ago and has put a significant effort into improving the Trust’s Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio. In June this was confirmed as 84.7 for the last 12 months, a significant reduction on the figure of 114.3 reported on the NHS Choices website - data from August 2008.
•Miguel can be contact by email at m.cubells@sky.com
