Hertfordshire NHS Trusts slammed in Government review

THE NHS trust that looks after the QE2 hospital has been slammed in a Government review of health services. East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust was one of 22 hospital trusts categorised as having its performance under review

THE NHS trust that looks after the QE2 hospital has been slammed in a Government review of health services.

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust was one of 22 hospital trusts categorised as having its "performance under review" in the Department of Health's Performance Framework, published this week.

And the East of England Ambulance Service also came in for criticism, being listed as one of four ambulance trusts in the same category.

Both trusts now have just three months to improve or risk falling into the "underperforming" category.

But despite the results, East and North Hertfordshire NHS chief executive Nick Carver remained update, saying the patient survey that contributed to the review was out-of-date.

"Back in May 2009, the national inpatient survey results for 2008 were published - which even then was information that was nearly a year out of date," he said.

"We are confident that if the results of the 2009 national inpatient survey were available today, they would show a very real improvement on the position published on our Trust last May."

For more on this story, see this week's edition of the Welwyn & Hatfield Times, out Wednesday.