The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has expressed concerns the some of the failings that allowed rogue surgeon Ian Paterson to harm patients are widespread across private hospitals.
The regulator said that an “old-fashioned” approach to consultants has led to a lack of monitoring and checks.
The CQC looked at 206 private hospitals which treat both private patients and those given NHS funding to be seen privately. The CQC rated 70% of those hospitals as good or excellent, but said it had significant concerns relating to governance and safety.
The Chief inspector of hospitals Prof Ted Baker said that “too often, safety was viewed as the responsibility of individual clinicians, rather than a corporate responsibility supported by formal governance processes.
“Where we found failings, we have been clear that improvements must be made, using our enforcement powers where needed to protect people.”
This reports simply highlights what has been suspected in the industry for some time and we need to be vigilant and monitor the facilities which treat patients no matter whether they are privately funded or the NHS.
If you or a family member has suffered from mistakes made by the NHS or other healthcare provider, which you consider unacceptable and feel that this has caused an injury, Devonshires Claims is a team of medical negligence specialists and are here to help with the difficult process of seeking compensation for hospital negligence.
If you wish to speak with one of our team, please contact Karen Cathcart, a specialist lawyer with experience in surgical negligence claims.
