A York MP has expressed concerns about the York Hospital trust after it was found wanting in a new national rating.
League tables of the best and worst performing NHS trusts in England have been published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for the first time.
The rankings score hospital trusts based on a range of measures, including finances and patient access to care, as well as bringing down waiting times for operations and A&E, and improving ambulance response times.
York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is at number 118 out of 134 acute trusts. It’s score was 2.84 (the top trust scored 1.39, the worst 3.35).
York Central MP Rachael Maskell said this would come “as a disappointment to residents and staff”.
She said: “Firstly, I recognise how hard staff are working at York Hospital to provide the very best services and care for the residents of York.
“I hope Government are going to use these league tables as a means to support improvement plans in tangible ways, and to ensure that residents in our city will have timely services, particularly as waiting lists remain stubbornly long in so many specialities.”
A York Hospitals trust spokesperson said: ““The metrics used to determine the ratings are reflective of the priority areas we are focused on as a trust, and whilst we are not yet where we want to be, we have robust plans in place to drive improvement.
“While there is more to do, we are beginning to see these plans have a positive impact thanks to the efforts and dedication of our staff, as demonstrated most recently in our latest CQC report.
“We remain committed to providing safe, high-quality care for the communities we serve.”
Yorkshire Ambulance Trust came third out of the ten ambulance services operating in England, as response times have improved.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that the new tables could lead to “friendly rivalry” between hospitals which will drive up standards.
However, experts have questioned the helpfulness of the tables, warning that hospital performance is “not as simple as good or bad”.
Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at The King’s Fund, warned that “a single ranking cannot give the public a meaningful understanding of how good or bad a hospital is”.
