Hounslow PCT Performs Poorly In Health Survey

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Research ranks PCT one of the weakest in the country

A report by the Dr Foster Research Organisation which was published in The Guardian this week has ranked Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT) 240th out of 254 UK healthcare organisations on patient experience.

This report, which is based on figures taken from the 2004 surveys conducted by the Healthcare Commission, ranked the PCT 231st out of 303 on Clinical Quality, based on mortality rates, and 271st out of 303 on its Equality assessment.

The Healthcare Commission is responsible for carrying out national surveys of the health service. The ratings of patient experience for all English PCTs have been calculated by Dr Foster on the basis of responses to a selection of questions posed in the commission's 2004 survey of primary care.

Hounslow’s rankings illustrative that despite gradual improvement in most areas, Hounslow Primary Care Trust remains one of the worst performing in the country. The PCT was also ranked weak on patient experience, clinical quality and equity.
Commenting on the report Andrew Dakers, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Brentford & Isleworth, said the PCT needed to be given a “fair deal” on debt it inherited and “serious questions must be asked at the next PCT board meeting as to what our local MP is doing”.

He went on to state that "Local MPs Alan and Ann Keen should be ashamed that after eight years of Labour the PCT is still bogged down by the substantial financial deficit it inherited when they first created these new organisations. When will Ann Keen and Gordon Brown give the trust's management team a fair deal and wipe out the debt? It is a disgrace that in a first world country our key local healthcare provider has to spend valuable management time discussing how best to contain an every growing debt burden.

"Serious questions must be asked at the next PCT board meeting on 7th July 2005 as to what our local MP is doing to ensure the Treasury assists PCTs like Hounslow and if she can't deliver where else the PCT can turn for help."

Dr Foster's analysis by PCT does suggest that there are significant variations around the country. The worst results are in ethnically diverse urban areas, with London showing particularly badly. However, this could reflect a broader factor: while patient experience often showed as poor, the quality of care delivered - measured objectively - is markedly better.

June 19, 2005