Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust runs two acute hospitals, the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital (Haywards Heath). Additionally, it also operates a number of other hospitals and medical facilities, including the Royal Alexander Children's and Sussex Eye Hospitals in Brighton and Hurstwood Park Neurosciences Centre in Haywards Heath. BSUH is not responsible for the running of either Brighton General Hospital or Mill View Hospital (Hove), these being the responsibility of Sussex Community NHS Trust and Sussex Partnership NHS Trust respectively.

Development programme

The Trust plans a £484.7 million public capital development programme for the modernisation of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, which has the oldest buildings in the NHS still used for acute care.^[1] Treasury funding for the redevelopment was approved in May 2014.^[2] Laing O'Rourke started work on the project on September 2014 by constructing temporary buildings.^[3] It is expected to be completed by 2024.

In June 2012 the trust was fined £325,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office after highly sensitive files of tens of thousands of patients, including details of HIV treatment, ended up being sold on eBay.^[4]

In February 2014 the Trust announced it was updating its policy to include e-cigarettes in a blanket ban on smoking in its buildings and grounds.^[5]

Performance

A Care Quality Commission report in August 2014 found there had been a “significant increase” in disciplinary cases related to race discrimination. It also said that accident and emergency services at Royal Sussex County Hospital were inadequate for responsiveness, suffered significant pressures and lacked sufficient physical space to deal with the number of patients that attended.^[6]

In March 2015 it was announced that the trust's 5-year contract with Sodexo for cleaning, catering and portering services which started in December 2012 would be terminated early in July 2015 by mutual consent after problems with staff pay and safety concerns over equipment and cleanliness standards.^[7]

The trust was one of 26 responsible for half of the national growth in patients waiting more than four hours in accident and emergency over the 2014/5 winter.^[8] The trust spent £14.7 million on agency staff in 2014/5.^[9]

In February 2016 it was expecting a deficit of £37.7 million for the year 2015/6.^[10] It actually ended 2015/6 in deficit of £45 million.^[11]

In June 2016 it reported a backlog of more than 9000 patients who had waited more than 18 weeks for treatment in breach of the target, and only 73% of current referrals were seen within the target. It did not expect to hit the target before March 2018.^[12]

It was given a formal warning by the Care Quality Commission in June 2016. It was told to improve its risk management as patients were being put at unnecessary risk because they were not being dealt with properly or in appropriate areas, to ensure the care privacy and dignity of people attending hospital and to ensure patients are seen in line with national timescales for diagnosis and treatment.^[13]

Controversy

The Black and Minority Ethnic Network in the Trust passed a vote of no confidence in the trust board in November 2015. A Care Quality Commission report in April 2014 reported that inspectors were told some BME staff felt disadvantaged and were subject to racially motivated bullying and harassment. A petition was circulated claiming that “BME people are being subjected to unprecedented levels of racial discrimination, harassment and victimisation.”^[14]

See also

• Healthcare in Sussex
• List of hospitals in England
• List of NHS trusts

References