Lib Dem MP Sandra Gidley set for talks with health bosses in Southamtpon

Liberal Democrat Sandra Gidley was today meeting Southampton University Hospitals Trust (SUHT) chief executive Mark Hackett to discuss a report which revealed failures in levels of MRSA, the number of operations cancelled and outpatient waiting times.

Services at Southampton General Hospital and the Princess Anne slipped from “good” to “fair” in a report by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission, as reported in the Daily Echo.

The hospitals also missed targets for waiting times for the rapid access chest pain clinic, the monitoring of data about ethnic groups, ensuring patient care was transferred to the community and promoting equality within the hospitals.

Mrs Gidley, who represents Romsey and parts of north Southampton, said: “The results of the report are really very disappointing. SUHT needs to look at hospitals which are doing better and learn from them.

“The figures are very worrying – we should be going forwards, not backwards.

“There are also significant problems in the ambulance service which need addressing.

Missing targets is not acceptable.”

However Mr Hackett welcomed the report when it was published and said SUHT had “much to celebrate”.

He said: “We are pleased to have been praised in the areas our patients tell us matter most.

“We have much to celebrate but clearly there is still room for improvement in a small number of areas.

“Our aim is to continuously improve across the trust to provide the very best possible care for our patients and these ratings will help us focus on any areas in need of attention.

“We are already addressing the issues raised in the health check and have recently seen a significant drop in infection rates, achieving some of the best performance nationally for reducing MRSA.

“The trust has also developed a wide-reaching plan to ensure we tackle any shortfalls in equality and diversity.”