Friday 6 February 2009

Hospital boss steps down after trolley wait mistakes

The chief executive of an award-winning NHS hospital has resigned after taking responsibility for mistakes that left eight patients waiting for more than 12 hours on trolleys before being admitted for treatment.

Tara Donnelly stepped down from the top job at West Middlesex University hospital in Isleworth, west London, on Tuesday, the trust said today. Donnelly accepted that the hospital provided an unacceptable standard of service during a period of heavy pressure on the A&E department two weeks ago. A&E staff in England are required by the Department of Health to decide within four hours whether a patient needs admission to hospital. The trust then has up to 12 hours to find a free bed and admit the patient to a ward.
At least she resigned, although one does wonder what sort of 'severance package' she's expecting.

Source: The Guardian.

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