The annual assessment by the Healthcare Commission highlights the serious problems being faced by Haringey’s healthcare providers, say the Liberal Democrats. Haringey’s Teaching and Primary Care Trust (TPCT) received mediocre results, whilst the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust and the North Middlesex Hospital were criticised over poor financial management and use of resources.

The Mental Health Trust was in the bottom 15% in the country. It received a rating of ‘Weak’ under ‘Use of Resources’, meaning that it “failed to demonstrate that it had adequate arrangements for managing its finances. Areas for improvement were identified.” The North Middlesex was also rated as ‘Weak’ in this area.

Haringey’s TPCT did marginally better, scoring ‘Fair’ for both ‘Quality of Services’ and ‘Use of Resources’. A new grading system used this year by the Healthcare Commission explains that trusts rated as ‘Fair’ mean that “the assessment of the quality of services provided by this organisation highlighted areas for improvement.”

As part of its assessment of quality of services, the Commission looked at five core standards. It did not agree with the Trust’s declarations on two of these five standards. In particular, the evidence supplied by the Trust to support the declaration that “[the Trust will] keep patients, staff and visitors safe by having systems to ensure that all risks associated with the acquisition and use of medical devices are minimised” did not meet with the Commission’s standards.

Councillor Richard Wilson, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Health and Social Services, comments:

“We are quite worried that little improvement has been seen since last year’s assessment. Both the Mental Health Trust and the North Middlesex Hospital have been assessed as ‘Weak’ in their use of resources, and it is clear that sound financial management is lacking. The PCT is still struggling, not least because it has been continually told to surrender its funds to the Strategic Health Authority throughout the year, leaving it in a precarious financial position, unable to plan for the future.

“The Labour government’s claim that this was the ‘best year for the NHS’ is not ringing true for the people of Haringey. We have seen money top-sliced from Trusts’ budgets, closures of a ward and sexual health clinics, the attempted closure of the X-ray unit at St Ann’s, and now a poor assessment from the Healthcare Commission.”