Statement on investigation into University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB)

Healthwatch Birmingham & Healthwatch Solihull has consistently called for the serious concerns that have been raised about UHB to be investigated both transparently and independently.

It is essential that we know quickly who will be conducting these reviews, are assured that they will be truly independent and that this will be reflected both in their remit and to whom they will report. They must be able to go wherever the evidence leads. I also look forward to receiving confirmation that their findings will be made public and that appropriate action will be taken in response. Only then will these reviews have the confidence both of patients and the Trust’s dedicated staff

Given the urgency of the issues reported at UHB, there must also be no delay. It is reassuring that the review into patient safety concerns and bullying will be expected to report its initial findings by the end of January, and that the wider external reviews of organisational culture and leadership will also report in the first half of 2023. 

In addition to investigating leadership and patient safety concerns that are specific to UHB, there must also be further action to address the long waiting times for cancer treatment and at A&E that patients are experiencing. These raise issues of investment in our NHS that go well beyond the management of any one Trust. We therefore also look to Ministers and NHS England and Improvement to take the immediate action necessary so hard-working NHS staff can deliver the quality of care that all patients deserve.

– Richard Burden, Chair, Healthwatch Birmingham & Healthwatch Solihull

* Image by Angella Streluk, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9161517