“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” - George Santayana,
Wes Streeting has announced a new regime for NHS hospitals, with OFSTED type league tables and the sacking of under performing managers. Hospital trusts can expect to be ranked on a range of indicators such as finances, delivery of services, patient access to care and the competency of leadership. Top performing trusts will be given more money and greater freedom on how that money is spent.
I have no idea how effective these reforms will be but Streeting would be well served to remember the negative impact the introduction of OFSTED league tables had on schools and teaching staff.
For years concerns were voiced regarding the heavy handedness of OFSTED, its crude reporting format and its negative effects on staff moral. The suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry, having had her school downgraded by OFSTED from “Outstanding" to " Inadequate”, led to an inquiry into the whole OFSTED process. This inquiry described OFSTED as “toxic” and "not fit for purpose". We can only hope Streeting’s new hospital inspectors will not make the same mistakes.
Wes Streeting and his new inspectors would do well to remember the social context within which individual hospitals operate.
In education it was found that :
“A school in a poor area is five times more likely to be ‘failing’ than affluent areas” (tes magazine: 16/06/18)
In other words, the more deprived an area, the more likely it is for schools to be judged by OFSTED as “failing” or “inadequate”. It cannot be a coincidence that social class seems to play a major role in the success of a school as measured by the narrow focus of OFSTED. Will the same bias apply when hospitals are being judged under Wes Streeting’s new NHS inspection regime?
Wes Streeting is a keen advocate of utilizing AI within the NHS.
"AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by improving efficiency, reducing waiting times, and enhancing patient outcomes. We must embrace this technology to ensure the NHS can meet the demands of the future." (29/06/23)
Taking Wes Streeting advice I consulted AI when asking this question:
“Is there a link between the social class of an area and the success of hospitals serving that area?”
Unsurprisingly, AI found there was indeed a very strong connection between the two.
“Yes, there is a link between the social class of an area and the success of hospitals serving that area. Research has shown that hospitals in more deprived areas often face greater challenges, which can impact their performance and outcomes. These challenges include higher rates of chronic illnesses, greater healthcare needs, and limited resources. As a result, hospitals in lower socio-economic areas may struggle to achieve the same outcomes as those in more affluent areas.” (Copilot: 13/11/24)
I hope Wes Streeting’s new NHS inspectorate takes this obvious connection into account when compiling their reports but the news headlines today suggest otherwise. The media talk of "naming and shaming”, sackings and the withholding of money from “failing hospitals".
Just as has happened in schools, this will lead to a further demoralisation of NHS staff working in socially deprived areas, recruitment and retention problems and a worsening of NHS hospital services in those areas.
It would seem that despite the findings if the OFSTED Inquiry, as far as Wes Streeting is concerned lessons have NOT been learned.
