Imposing fines on health trusts is counter productive

In your last issue you reported ‘clear failings’ by a local health trust, for which it could face an unlimited fine when it is sentenced in May.
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This is just one of a number of judgements against local trusts, all of which were serious and for which they were rightly called to account, but in my opinion wrongly fined.

Fines are completely counter-productive.

They do not punish the managers or other workers at those trusts.

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They simply take away the money which the trusts need to provide us with the services which we need, and when underfunding is a factor in the failings, fines can only make matters worse.

Some of us have suffered and all are potentially put at risk when things go wrong.

Approaches such as mentoring, putting trusts under special measures or changing managements would be constructive ways of responding, but fines punish only one group of people, us, the patients.

David Hitchin

Wilkinson Way

Seaford