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Death rates at Vic among UK's worst
FYLDE health chiefs today defended their record after a report named the coast's top hospital as having one of the worst death rates in the country.
Blackpool Victoria Hospital has been revealed as one of 10 trusts with a worse death rate than Mid Staffordshire, where at least 400 patients died needlessly because of "shocking and appalling" standards of care.
Problems at Mid Staffordshire included dehydrated patients being forced to drink out of flower vases and others left in soiled linen on filthy wards.
The scandal was only uncovered when unusually high death rates triggered NHS alerts.
But it has been revealed the Healthcare Commission has not investigated 10 hospitals with worse scores than Mid Staffordshire under the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios (HSMRs) – including Blackpool.
Figures from Dr Foster, the independent health information firm, show The Vic had a ratio score of 123, last November when Mid Staffordshire had a score of 116. Earlier Mid Staffordshire had a score of 127.
Under HSMR, a figure of 100 would mean the hospital had exactly the number of deaths that would be expected.
This means The Vic had 23 per cent more deaths than would have been expected.
But hospital bosses have hit back, saying patients can be "reassured standards of clinical care and treatment they receive is extremely high".
A spokesman said the Dr Foster guide published last year – covering April 2007 to March 2008 – looked at how mortality rates compared in hospitals across the country, but the trust's own figures for the same time frame, using a comparative database, showed a "much lower figure".
Dr Paul Kelsey, medical director, said: "The Dr Foster report shows the overall quality of care at Victoria Hospital is good.
"We score particularly well for patient safety and better than average for control of infection, our readmission rates and access to treatment.
"We are certainly not complacent about our mortality rates, but our latest data shows we are moving in the right direction.
"We are confident that with the measures we have put in place, together with our future plans, we will see an improvement in next year's Dr Foster report."
He said measures taken included the Saving 100,000 Lives campaign aimed at cutting mortality, regular audits and a mortality board to look at death rates.
But the Patients Association has said it was "amazed" trusts could have high mortality rates and not automatically face any action.
A spokesman said: "HSMRs are a blunt instrument, but even a simple follow-up might uncover wider problems."
Blackpool has a high elderly population and factors causing increased mortality, including high levels of coronary heart disease.
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Weather for Blackpool
Wednesday 30 May 2012
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Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
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