Southern Health trust interim chair resigns

The interim chair of troubled Southern Health NHS foundation trust has become the latest senior figure to quit the organisation.

The trust has been widely criticised for failing to investigate more than 1,000 unexpected deaths of patients with mental health problems or learning disabilities.

Tim Smart was appointed to the post in May, shortly after the resignation of Mike Petter, who stood down just before the publication of a critical report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which said the trust was still not doing enough to protect people in its care.

But Smart faced criticism after the chief executive, Katrina Percy, who had been under sustained pressure to stand down, did so last month, only for the trust to reveal that she would continue to be employed in a new role as strategic adviser, with the same pay and benefits.

On Monday, a trust spokesman said: “Tim Smart has taken the decision to resign from his position as interim chair, with immediate effect, for personal reasons. Since his appointment in May this year, Tim has made a considerable contribution to the trust, driving through changes necessary to improve our services. We would like to thank him for his time and dedication.

“We are working with NHS Improvement to appoint a new interim chair as soon as possible. In the meantime, Malcolm Berryman, as deputy chair, will ensure that the duties of the trust board are carried out.”

The trust’s leadership was censured in an independent report commissioned by NHS England after 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk, who had learning disabilities, drowned in a bath after an epileptic seizure at Slade House in Oxfordshire in July 2013.

In December, the report, carried out by the audit firm Mazars, concluded that failures by the trust’s board and senior executives meant there was no effective management of deaths or investigations and a lack of “effective focus or leadership from the board”.

The CQC, which subsequently carried out a snap inspection, identified similar failings, noting that the leadership did not proactively address risks “before concerns are raised by external bodies”.

Percy had been urged to quit, including by Sparrowhawk’s mother, Dr Sara Ryan. There was also pressure from the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesman, Norman Lamb, and the former shadow mental health minister Luciana Berger, before Percy finally stood down.

On her resignation, Smart praised Percy as having “shown great resilience, devoting herself to the patients and staff of Southern Health”. He also said she had left the trust well-positioned. But the trust’s appointment of Percy to a new role prompted more criticism, with Ryan describing it as “totally sickening”.

Earlier this month, Smart compounded the anger when he disclosed that Percy’s new role had been created for her. Her salary is quoted in the trust’s annual report as between £180,000 and £190,000.

In June, the trust accepted responsibility for Sparrowhawk’s death and agreed to pay his family £80,000 in compensation. Last October an inquest jury concluded that neglect contributed to the death of the teenager, who was known affectionately as Laughing Boy or LB.

Southern Health trust interim chair resigns

Under-fire Southern Health chief quits over "media attention"

The boss of an NHS trust that was widely criticised for failing to investigate unexpected deaths of patients with mental health problems or learning disabilities has resigned, citing “media attention”.

Katrina Percy, the chief executive of Southern Health NHS foundation trust, who has been under pressure to stand down for months, announced her resignation on Tuesday.

The trust’s leadership was censured in an independent report commissioned by NHS England after 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk, who had learning disabilities, drowned in a bath after an epileptic seizure at Slade House in Oxfordshire in July 2013.

In December the inquiry team concluded that the trust had failed to properly investigate the deaths of more than 1,000 patients with learning disabilities or mental health problems over a four-year period, and criticised a “failure of leadership”.

In April the trust’s chairman, Mike Petter, stood down just before the publication of another critical report, this time by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which said the trust was still not doing enough to protect people in its care.

But Percy resisted calls to quit, including from Connor’s mother, Dr Sara Ryan, and the former shadow health minister Luciana Berger, until Tuesday.

Announcing her decision, Percy said: “I have reflected on the effect the ongoing personal media attention has had on staff and patients and have come to the conclusion that this has made my role untenable.

“I know and understand that many will say I should have stepped down sooner given the very public concerns which have been raised in the past months. I stayed on as I firmly believed it was my responsibility to oversee the necessary improvements and to continue the groundbreaking work we have begun with GPs to transform care for our patients.”

Percy said she would be taking up an alternative role providing strategic advice to local GP leaders. Julie Dawes, who joined the trust in May as director of nursing and quality, will take over as chief executive on an interim basis.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb welcomed Percy’s “belated” resignation, but said: “Rather than taking responsibility and doing the honourable thing by stepping down, Katrina Percy continued to put her own interests before the public interest.

“Reports that she will move into another well-paid job advising GPs on strategy are deeply concerning and will aggravate the sense of injustice felt by the families of those who lost their lives.”

Deborah Coles, the director of the charity Inquest who worked with Sparrowhawk’s family, said: “The CEO and board presided over dangerous systems and practices that cost lives. Despite repeated warnings there was a failure to act.

“Those patients and families affected have a right to be justifiably angered that this resignation is not an acceptance of responsibility for systemic failings but further denial and obfuscation by blaming ‘media attention’.”

The report commissioned by NHS England, carried out by the audit firm Mazars, concluded that failures by the trust’s board and senior executives meant there was no “effective” management of deaths or investigations and a lack of “effective focus or leadership from the board”.

The CQC, which subsequently carried out a snap inspection, said: “The key risks and actions to address them were not driving the senior leadership or board agenda.” It said the leadership did not proactively address risks “before concerns are raised by external bodies”.

In June the trust accepted responsibility for Connor’s death and agreed to pay his family £80,000 in compensation. Last October an inquest jury concluded that neglect contributed to the death of the teenager, who was known affectionately as Laughing Boy or LB.

Southern Health’s interim chairman, Tim Smart, said Percy had reached the conclusion that “due to the significant focus on her as an individual, it is in the best interests of the trust, patients and staff for her to step down”.

Under-fire Southern Health chief quits over "media attention"

Afghan Taliban bans polio vaccination teams from southern Helmand

An Afghan health worker administers polio vaccine drops to a child. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The Afghan Taliban has banned polio vaccination teams from southern Helmand province because it suspects them of spying for the government at a time of heavy clashes with government forces, the insurgent group said in a statement on its website.

The announcement is a worrying development, because although Taliban groups across the border in Pakistan have attacked and killed polio vaccinators for years, their Afghan counterparts have mostly supported, or at least tolerated, international efforts to wipe out the disease.

The last time polio vaccinators were blocked from part of Afghanistan, the insurgent group denied any role and said it supported efforts to stop the disease.

Afghanistan is one of just three countries, along with Pakistan and Nigeria, where polio is still endemic. There has been a rise in cases this year, with seven reported so far compared with just three for the same period of 2013, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

The group said Helmand has been off limits to vaccinators since February, but did not give a reason. The southern province has seen fierce fighting between insurgent and government forces in recent weeks, and the Taliban’s statement was the first indication it had chased out polio eradication teams.

“We have stopped vaccination in Helmand for the moment,” the Taliban said in a statement posted on its website this week. “The vaccinators were also collecting information about the Taliban and Taliban commanders, they were spying.”

The statement said they had asked UN officials for talks but received no response; the UN’s humanitarian arm declined to comment when asked about the ban.

Health workers often negotiate access to difficult areas through village elders, and most Afghans are keen to protect their children from a disease which can kill or paralyse. The Taliban’s accusation that vaccinators were working as spies is a worrying new sign of hostility to efforts to wipe out the disease.

But there have for years been fears that the Pakistani Taliban’s opposition to polio vaccination campaigns, which militant leaders have banned at least three times since 2012, could influence Afghan groups.

The CIA’s decision to set up a fake vaccination programme as part of its hunt for Osama bin Laden fuelled militant suspicion of the global project to eradicate polio. The White House has since promised that the US will never again use vaccination programmes as a cover for spying.

Most polio cases in Afghanistan are believed to be the result of infections brought across the Pakistani border, but Afghans are still vulnerable because in some areas only two-thirds of children are immunised.

Afghan Taliban bans polio vaccination teams from southern Helmand

Afghan Taliban bans polio vaccination teams from southern Helmand

An Afghan health worker administers polio vaccine drops to a child. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The Afghan Taliban has banned polio vaccination teams from southern Helmand province because it suspects them of spying for the government at a time of heavy clashes with government forces, the insurgent group said in a statement on its website.

The announcement is a worrying development, because although Taliban groups across the border in Pakistan have attacked and killed polio vaccinators for years, their Afghan counterparts have mostly supported, or at least tolerated, international efforts to wipe out the disease.

The last time polio vaccinators were blocked from part of Afghanistan, the insurgent group denied any role and said it supported efforts to stop the disease.

Afghanistan is one of just three countries, along with Pakistan and Nigeria, where polio is still endemic. There has been a rise in cases this year, with seven reported so far compared with just three for the same period of 2013, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

The group said Helmand has been off limits to vaccinators since February, but did not give a reason. The southern province has seen fierce fighting between insurgent and government forces in recent weeks, and the Taliban’s statement was the first indication it had chased out polio eradication teams.

“We have stopped vaccination in Helmand for the moment,” the Taliban said in a statement posted on its website this week. “The vaccinators were also collecting information about the Taliban and Taliban commanders, they were spying.”

The statement said they had asked UN officials for talks but received no response; the UN’s humanitarian arm declined to comment when asked about the ban.

Health workers often negotiate access to difficult areas through village elders, and most Afghans are keen to protect their children from a disease which can kill or paralyse. The Taliban’s accusation that vaccinators were working as spies is a worrying new sign of hostility to efforts to wipe out the disease.

But there have for years been fears that the Pakistani Taliban’s opposition to polio vaccination campaigns, which militant leaders have banned at least three times since 2012, could influence Afghan groups.

The CIA’s decision to set up a fake vaccination programme as part of its hunt for Osama bin Laden fuelled militant suspicion of the global project to eradicate polio. The White House has since promised that the US will never again use vaccination programmes as a cover for spying.

Most polio cases in Afghanistan are believed to be the result of infections brought across the Pakistani border, but Afghans are still vulnerable because in some areas only two-thirds of children are immunised.

Afghan Taliban bans polio vaccination teams from southern Helmand

5 Factors To Know About Southern Utah"s Outside Playground

“Snow Canyon would have been a national park but we’re in Utah,” explains Red Mountain Resort general manager Tracey Welsh. Such a comment isn’t the kind of thing you’re typically used to hearing from a property rep. Then she adds, “We already have five.” Oh, now it makes sense. The Beehive State is blessed with so many natural expanses that a place as breathtaking as 7,400-acre Snow Canyon has to be relegated to “state park” status.

Well-heeled travelers who lace up for the annual trek to Southwestern Utah’s Red Mountain know all about the wonderment found in and around its boundaries. The 82-room, 24-suite property, which is an adobe-inspired, 50-plus-acre beauty in its own right, offers the entrance to Snow Canyon only a quarter of a mile down the road and sees the beloved Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks all within comfortable drives. Heck, even the Grand Canyon’s north rim is only about 160 miles away. Needless to say, outdoor adventure opportunities are to be had in nearly every direction. But even though the resort welcomes hikers and canyoneers with open-arm harnesses, it has more than plenty of places for foodies, yoga fanatics and folks merely in need of de-stressing, too.

Hiking at Red Mountain Resort, photo courtesy of Red Mountain Resort

Take in the sights
Ivins, Utah, is pretty darn remote. In order to get there, you have to first fly into Salt Lake City or Denver and take a commuter plane to the 3-year-old St. George Municipal Airport. (You could drive two hours from Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport as well.) From St. George, it’s a 30-minute drive on Red Mountain’s prompt shuttle to the resort. But being removed from the grind is kind of the point, though. If you just wanted a side of convenience with your kickboxing class, you could have gone to the place around the block from your house. Besides, being semi-off-the-radar affords you undisturbed views of stunning red rock canyons and sensational blue skies that only certain parts of the Southwest can provide. But don’t worry—when the itch for civilization hits, you can find a Dairy Queen a few minutes away.

Nosh on fresh, healthy fare
Do us a favor: Don’t mention burgers or fries when you’re around chef Chad Luethje. The approachable toque, who has supervised stoves in Jackson Hole (Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa) and Tucson (Miraval Resort & Spa), grew up to vegetarian parents, and runs a meticulous kitchen at Red Mountain that has a focus on freshness and flavor. “I was exposed to some of the basic cornerstones of this type of [cooking] early on,” says the man who captains the Canyon Breeze Restaurant, which does buffet-style breakfast and lunch, while offering about seven or eight entrée options on its dinner menu. Chef Luethje partners with area farmers for vegetables, herbs and meats, and he deals with a select group of environmentally conscious fishermen for daily catches. (During our stay, temperatures inched above 90 F one night, so Luethje’s team got its hands on some melons and created a delightfully refreshing watermelon soup.) We can’t promise that this fruity starter, the scrumptious sweet potato pancakes or even the Hawaiian yellow fin tuna will be on the ever-evolving menu when you visit; if either are, you’ll want to make sure to save room on your plate.

Facilities with flair
As if carved from the very rock they neighbor, the buildings that make up Red Mountain Resort have a warmth and outdoorsy charm about them. Back in the 1970s, the property served as a vegan health camp, so older (but well-maintained) structures do exist. Newer areas, such as living quarters named after local critters such as armadillos, elk and turtles, certainly blend into the scenic aesthetic; but on the interior, you’ll find limestone in the bathroom, fireplaces and wall-mounted TVs in the bedroom and other splashes of luxury. Sagestone Spa & Salon is 8,000 square feet of exhilaration. Take the spiral staircase down from the lobby to a land of muted hues, floor-to-ceiling windows and Red Rock Hiker’s massages that will leave you in a state of desert blissfulness. Canyon Breeze Restaurant, Canyon Counter snack shop, the wellness center and gift shop complete a resort that’s walkable without feeling cramped. Should the need for a sit-down arise, though, Red Mountain’s hammock-to-guest ratio is one of the most impressive we’ve seen in some time.

Red Mountain Resort, photo courtesy of Red Mountain Resort 

Service with a smile
Another exceptional Red Mountain quality is the cordiality of its team. Many Utahns walk with an air of kindness and accommodation anyway, but the staff here goes beyond even that. You know that aforementioned massage? Well, Peggy owns those gifted hands. And though there won’t be any unnecessary chatter during your actual treatment, before and after your service she’ll make you feel as if you’re the only person on her schedule. Back at Canyon Breeze, you’ll encounter a waiter named Kelton, if you’re lucky. He’s a merry young man in glasses. After he asks the requisite bread-or-no-bread question, he’ll inquire about your day—no, really, he’ll ask about the kayaking trip you took that afternoon that you only briefly mentioned to him the day before. But he isn’t the only one—the bartender, the woman peddling wool socks at the shop and Holly, your kayaking guide, make the visit a personable one.

Mother Nature’s embrace
GM Welsh says the resort’s visitors break down to 65 percent women and 35 percent men. That’s a stat we find pretty head-scratching, seeing as how Nordic walking, horseback riding and cardio classes speak to both sexes. Still, the aspect of the resort and town that should align most with guys is the love of the outdoors. How could more gents not want to swim at lovely Sand Hollow Reservoir or trek about Zion National Park? With the latter, especially, many of its trails are nothing short of mythical slithers of earth. By the time you make your way up Angels Landing’s strenuous 2.4-mile path, squirrels will be scampering at your feet and falcons will be gliding above. One gaze across the fir- and pine-speckled landscape and you’ll instantly see why the resort’s twice-a-day hikes are always full. On top of that, you’ll have a better understanding as to why more and more people are making the extra effort getting to Southwestern Utah to begin with.

5 Factors To Know About Southern Utah"s Outside Playground

Financial approach of Southern Cross residences blamed for previous people"s deaths

Doris Fielding, one particular of 19 residents who died at Orchid View. Her daughter, Judith Charatan, explained: ‘They had been basically filling up beds to make money.’ Photograph: PA

The fiscal troubles of Southern Cross, when Britain’s biggest care-home operator, and the “inadequate emphasis on care” by its managers “put vulnerable men and women at danger” a damning serious situation assessment into neglect at a Sussex care residence, which led to the deaths of five elderly individuals, has concluded.

The financial struggles of the private organization contributed to the poor care obtained by residents at the now-closed Orchid View care home in Copthorne, West Sussex, the report states.

The inquiry was launched after an inquest final 12 months into the deaths of 19 elderly folks at the property identified evidence of “institutionalised abuse” and highlighted a lack of respect for the dignity of residents, bad nutrition and hydration, mismanagement of medication and inadequate personnel numbers.

At its peak, Southern Cross Healthcare was the largest independent care-home organization in the United kingdom, with far more than 700 residences nationally, and virtually forty,000 beds.

“The development and demise of Southern Cross Healthcare indicates rapid development and complicated economic arrangements at the root of the company’s size and profitability,” the critical case assessment (SCR), commissioned by West Sussex Adult Safeguarding Board, notes.

“We are concerned with the implications when such arrangements fail, as in the situation of Southern Cross Healthcare in its management of Orchid See. The effect of this was felt immediately by vulnerable men and women who knowledgeable bad-high quality care and their family members who knowledgeable anxiousness and distress at the way their loved ones had been cared for. There was a significant further expense to the public purse.

“The finish consequence of what occurred with Southern Cross Healthcare was that its fiscal technique and inadequate concentrate on care by its accountable managers put vulnerable people at chance.”

Orchid View was opened in November 2009 and was closed by Southern Cross Healthcare in October 2011. Following an anonymous alert to the police in August 2011, five members of personnel were arrested and questioned, but the Crown Prosecution Services said later there was inadequate proof to pursue criminal charges.

The report lists a catalogue of failings, numerous of them observed by NHS ambulance crew, relatives and pharmacists who visited the house, but whose warnings were not acted on. Ambulance personnel and other site visitors repeatedly noticed that there had been not ample members of employees in the home to search after the residents.

The inquiry helps make 34 suggestions about how this kind of abuse, neglect and inadequate care could be averted in the long term, between them the necessity that private care properties ought to be required to prove to the care watchdog, the Care High quality Commission, that they can recruit and sustain a skilled workforce.

In the course of the care home’s short existence, there had been 6 distinct managers, all but a single of whom did not have the management credentials essential by the CQC.

“Also considerably tolerance offered to Orchid View as they operated with out a registered manager for most of the time they have been open,” the inquiry located.

“There was inadequate growth of a workforce strategy or consideration offered to recruitment, support and improvement of workers competent to deliver the care required,” the report states.

Worries about safeguarding problems need to be raised outside the property if they are not dealt with promptly, according to the inquiry. It also highlights the importance of offering workers added coaching if English is not their very first language.

Nick Georgiou, independent chair of the Orchid See significant situation assessment, stated latest government consultations on making certain greater care inside of the NHS should also be utilized to independent-sector businesses.

“As the role of independent-sector care businesses has grown, the variety, frailty and vulnerability of folks dependent on their care has increased. It is critically essential that these companies show that they can supply the top quality of care required. In this case the support supplier failed,” he writes.

“A amount of the concerns identified in the recent previous with hospital companies in the NHS have been echoed at Orchid See and it is correct that the scrutiny and demands for improvement in the NHS are also expected from the independent sector.”

Peter Catchpole, West Sussex county council’s cabinet member for adult social care and overall health, said: “What occurred at Orchid See was harrowing. There is nothing at all a lot more important than looking after the most vulnerable men and women in our society and in this respect Southern Cross Healthcare has been judged to have failed.

“Statutory companies such as West Sussex county council had no selection but to get action to investigate and eventually move men and women from the property to safeguard them.”

Jean Halfpenny, 77, was one of 5 residents who had been identified by an inquest last 12 months to have died from organic causes “contributed to by neglect”. Linzi Collings, Halfpenny’s daughter, said: “How the corporate failings of Southern Cross could develop these events and how this kind of horrible specifications could go unnoticed by the authorities for so extended has left us baffled.

“We think dramatic modifications are required to the existing care technique, starting up firstly with higher accountability for care-house owners if they are discovered to be making pointless mistakes and supplying substandard services.”

Judith Charatan stated her mom, Doris Fielding, was one particular of the final individuals to be admitted to the residence.

“They knew they have been going to be closed down but they had been still striving to admit individuals into the residence to make income from people currently being in there and I uncover that very unforgivable they were just filling up beds to make money,” she told the BBC.

“If these issues had been addressed when complaints had been raised earlier by other relatives there would have been a good deal significantly less needless struggling and I just can not come to terms with that.”

Financial approach of Southern Cross residences blamed for previous people"s deaths