Academic and Professional Skills: Stafford Hospital Case Study 2022

STAFFORD HOSPITAL CASE STUDY
Academic and Professional Skills
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Go to University Library link -> there copy paste the reference
and check their link, as my personal library log in link might
not work for you / GO TO GOOGLE SCHOLAR FOR
REFERENCE LINKS
1

Executive Summary
Ethics is a system of moral principles that affects the way people/organizations make
decisions and live. Staffordshire NHS Trust runs Stafford Hospital, where between 400 and
1,200 patients died between January 2005 and March 2009 as a result of poor hospital
treatment. This is the case as a result of a reduction of 10 million pounds in hospital costs.
This has led to severe shortages of highly skilled staff, a lack of staff morale and a lack of
compassion among some employees. Poor hospital services are a direct result of a shortage of
qualified personnel and medical personnel. Many patients did not have drinks, food or
medicine due to lack of staff. The hospital staff was made responsible, far beyond their
ability. It was observed that junior doctors had to perform duties at night and that non-
medical receptionist was often forced to attend to patients.
Stafford Hospital has been embroiled in a scandal involving limited staff and a service budget
for patients. Hospital management has been negligent in appointing staff trained to care for
patients and neglected their general ethical obligations. The current analysis includes whether
Stafford Hospital should continue to work for unethical behaviors and the steps the hospital
can take to ensure ethical compliance. There is evidence that Stafford Hospital is considered
the most negligent of NHS care without ethical operating standards. As HCC explains, ethics
and patient care standards are a serious problem at the hospital. Unethical behavior by patient
care staff has led to a loss of public interest and confidence in the NHS. Its trust ended up
earning a million dollars from the disastrous consequences. While the ethical standards of the
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NHS respect autonomy, the organization does not have the most important views on the
organization regarding patient care.
The way in which the Health Board and the Stafford Scandal in the Department of Health
have affected the NHS. The NHS and health boards, as well as the organization, have failed
to assess the ethical challenges to Stafford Hospital's budget cuts, which put so many patients
at risk. The NHS has set in its ethical principles a priority for the competitive demands of
health services, which the organization has completely ignored. The report found that the
management of the hospital in Stafford was unethical. Although medical malpractice cases
can be referred to as criminal liability, it was completely ignored by the organization.
Incorporating the basic ethical principles of NHS, health care organizations should consider
them to raise standards of care by properly assessing their needs. While there are ethical
reasons to provide your services to the community at large. The NHS has 15 basic ethical
principles that must be followed by an organization, such as all ethical values and standards,
in its decision-making.
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Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................5
Analysis......................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
Recommendations....................................................................................................................10
Reference List..........................................................................................................................11
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Introduction
Ethics encompasses a system consisting of moral principles that impact ways in which
people/ organizations make decisions and lead their lives (Kagan, 2018, p 10). The term
ethics is concerned with whatever is good for individuals and society as a while and is often
regarded as moral philosophy. The term ethics is obtained from the Greek "ethos" which
implies habit, customer, disposition or character (Tavani, 2016, p 5). Ethics is based upon
standards founded on right and wrong, that prescribe what humans need to be done. Ethics is
based upon the specific virtues that define right or wrong for the society and restrain from
reasonable obligations (Winch, 2020, p 2).
Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust runs the Stafford Hospital and in the period from January 2005
and March 2009, 400 to 1200 patients died from poor care at the hospital. This hospital has
been regarded as the most negligent hospital of the NHS (Campbell, 2013). Cutting down of
GBP 10 million in spending of the hospital directly led to this situation arising. This led to an
acute shortage of trained and high-quality staff, lack of staff morale and also lack of
compassion amongst some staff. Poor care at the hospital was a direct consequence of a
severe shortage of trained staff and medical personnel. Due to a lack of staff, many patients
went without a drink, food, and medication. The staff present in the hospital were given
responsibility that was way beyond their capabilities. Junior doctors were seen to be provided
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with responsibilities of taking care of the ward at night and often non-medical reception staffs
were made to attend to the patient when they arrived at the hospital.
Stafford hospital has earned the reputation of being a negligent hospital. It is involved in a
scandal for making a tight budget regarding its spending on workforce and services to
patients. The hospital's management has been negligent to appoint not-sufficiently trained
staff to take care of its patients, ignoring its moral obligation in totality.
The current scope of analysis involves evaluating whether Stafford hospital engaging in
unethical behavior should be allowed to continue and operate and steps the hospital can take
to ensure ethical standards are being adhered to.
Analysis
Stafford hospital has been accused of negligence and including unethical behavior while
providing services to its patients. The scope of the current discussion will evaluate the
unethical behaviors of the organization and if it should be allowed to operate. This analysis
will also include recommendations that the organization needs to incorporate to ensure ethical
standards being followed henceforth.
Impact of unethical behaviour on public confidence and whether the hospital should be
allowed to continue to operate. The Guardian reports that 400 to 1200 patient death as a
direct consequence of poor care for over 50 months. This hospital scandal is often referred to
as one of the worst scandals in history. The negligence has been wilful and directly linked to
performance, which includes a series of petrifying blunders committed within the healthcare
sector (Carman, 2016). The healthcare sector that provides service to the entire society and
has moral obligations towards individuals and society, has failed in such endeavors. Public
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inspection of health professionals could not take place as it would lead to rebuking of judicial
duty of greater secrecy of protected practice. As per the professional rules of conduct
prescribed by the NHS, there was a lack of moral obligations of the healthcare professionals
leading to patient harm. There is a requirement to consistently report and legalize any clinical
errors, which had also been avoided during this period, leading to malpractices amongst co-
workers (Pozgar, 2019). The morality and standards of care given to the patients were a great
matter of concern as stated by the HCC. The unethical actions of the staff in patient care led
to a matter of public concern and loss of credence in the NHS Trust services. The Board
ended up making 1 million in profits was of catastrophic consequence. Though NHS
standards of ethical principles have respect towards autonomy yet the organization failed to
involve the opinion of those who matter the most for the organization (Jansari et al, 2015).
Thus, along with the organization, the NHS and the Healthcare Commission failed to
evaluate the ethical challenges associated with reducing budget at the Stafford hospital that
led to risking of lives of so many patients. NHS in its ethical principles clearly outlines to
prioritize competing needs of healthcare, which again has been ignored by the organization.
NHS clearly states regarding the patient's capacity to decide or inform regarding treatment or
choice for the benefit from each option, which has been ignored by the organization. Thus, in
view of the public confidence lost in the hospital, it should not be allowed to operate and risk
thousands of lives.
Impact of unethical behaviour on medical staff and whether the hospital should be allowed to
continue to operate. There are a series of shortcomings in Britain's Healthcare system that
have led many patients overwhelmed. The primary reason for this is the governmental
approach to reduce costs and fulfill its own goals. The healthcare goals did not include
standards of care for patient care, nor for the hygiene or meals and timings (Post, and
Blustein, 2015). Basic grades of hygiene were ignored and often patients had to be supported
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by their family, who used to provide care to them at the hospital. The organizational staff
experienced a very sad climate as the staff regularly faced impassive attitude, high levels of
stress and burnout (White, Phakoe, and Rispel, 2015). Not only there were deaths but an
increasing number of patient falls, injury and other consequences from neglected routine. The
hospital had been turned into a foundation trust rapidly with its goals focussed on doing
savings for the same led to severe consequences. There was a complete failure of leadership
at the organization to provide patient care or treat emergency cases or provide patient safety
(Wright, Hassan, and Park, 2016). The board at the hospital relied upon the favorable
performance report ascertained by the Healthcare Commission and ignored any internal
assessment or staff/ patient feedback. Though medical neglect cases can be criminalized for
prosecution. There was absent a culture that can identify, evaluate or measure risks associated
with patients and can adopt measures to reduce healthcare individual's risks on duty, avoiding
the professional norm altogether. The organization's major ethical challenge was not taking
patient complaints of feedback on a serious note (Numminen et al, 2015). Though many
expressed concerns over the apparent failure of external organization yet there was no inquiry
into the trust’s performance levels. All these outcomes need to be evaluated against NHS
standards of care. The organization failed to anticipate the demand in healthcare and ended
up making a tight budget based upon efficiency. NHS has an existing legal minimum staffing
level which is imposed upon the various healthcare organization providers. NHS regulations
failed to impose its regulations on its managers and other administrators (Francis, 2015, p 946
Thus, in view of the stress, burnout and ill-behaviour experienced by staffs at the hospital, it
should not be allowed to operate.
Impact of unethical behaviour on the NHS and whether the hospital should be allowed to
continue to operate. Neither the NHS nor the hospital had any specific definition regarding
healthcare standards and ways to improve healthcare services at the organization. Quality
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improvement as a part of healthcare to provide safe and effective patient care is the foremost
duty and responsibility of a healthcare organization, which has been ignored totally (Swift,
2016). With no disciplined approach based on knowledge or by providing rights to healthcare
staff in providing care to the patients, there was a complete meltdown of the existing system.
In the sight of the trust reducing its budget for the organization, there was no description
regarding the staff levels of nurses, healthcare assistants or other supporting staff who can
provide professional and experienced care to patients. No mention of any supervisory and
regulatory system was present that led to rising challenges faced by patients (Pandya-Wood,
Barron, and Elliott, 2017, p 6). There was a shift in behavior from responsibility towards
neglect which the foremost ethical problem committed by the organization. Embedded in the
NHS 15 core ethical principles that healthcare organization needs to take into consideration is
to drive standards of patient care through appropriate evaluation of patient needs. Though
there is a mention of cost-effectiveness by the NHS, yet it does not over-power the needs of
patient treatment (NHS Commissioning Board, April 2013). Due to avoiding NHS ethical
norms and standards of care concerning ethical practice, the organization should be barred
from continuing its operations.
Impact of unethical behaviour on Stafford hospital reputation and whether the hospital
should be allowed to operate. The hospital has failed to abide by any of the ethical principles
as stated by NHS ethical standards board. NHS prioritizes key factors in its ethical standards
that need to be considered by the organization when providing healthcare treatment to
patients, which is binding upon the organization (Goldenberg et al, 2016, p 254). Failing to
abide by the ethical standards and neglecting standards of care for the patient at the
organization is one of the gravest ethical misconduct committed. The overemphasis on the
cost-saving attitude surpassing any lookout for patient safety or patient care, which is the
primary scope of responsibility of the organization, is ignorance to conform to its primary
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duties (McKie, Singer, and Richardson, 2016). In light of the health outcomes and benefits
associated with patient service, the trust has ignored its duties. Though it is mandatory to
have ethical reasoning for the healthcare organization as it is a not-for-profit organization and
provides its service to the broader community, the same has been ignored. NHS has 15 core
ethical principles that need to be followed by the organization such that all the values and
ethical standards are encapsulated in its decision making. Thus, even if the organization is
allowed to continue its practice, then some ethical principles which are morally binding have
to be adopted by it such that it can henceforth function appropriately.
Conclusion
Stafford Hospital has been charged with negligence, including unethical behavior. There is
evidence that Stafford Hospital has become the most neglected NHS health care organization
without ethical standards. Unethical behavior by carers has led to public attention and a loss
of confidence in trusted NHS services. the NHS and the HealthCare Commission Board,
along with the organization, have failed to assess the ethical challenges associated with cuts
to Stafford Hospital's budget, putting many patients at risk. In its ethical principles, the NHS
clearly describes the competitive needs of the health service as a priority that the
organization. The report notes that Stafford Hospital management does not adhere to ethical
standards. Stafford Hospital should be allowed to continue operating only with the
acceptance of certain ethical standards. While health organizations need to have ethical
reasoning because they are a non-profit organization that serves the wider community, it has
been overlooked in this case. The NHS has 15 important ethical principles that organizations
must adhere to accept all values and ethical standards in the decision-making process. Thus,
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even if an organization were to be able to continue its practice, it would have to adopt several
morally binding principles to function properly in the future.
Recommendations
In light of the above discussion, it has been seen that the organization has failed in adopting
ethical standards as per the NHS. Stafford hospital is guilty of severing ethical misconduct,
hence it needs to adopt ethical policies to be able to operate effectively. The following are
some of the recommendations that the organization can adopt to operate ethically.
 Firstly, the organization needs to revise its budget by current demands in healthcare.
As the organization's cost-cutting initiative has led to a shortage of staff and
consequences in inpatient care, such a budget needs to be revised within an immediate
effect. The ethical standard that the organization needs to follow in this is prioritizing
the health care needs of patients.
 Secondly, the organization needs to evaluate its staffing levels and have qualified staff
to provide expert and professional care to patients. This is regarding ethical standards
to provide safe and effective patient care. This will also reduce the number of errors
committed and the challenges faced by patients.
 Lastly, the organization needs to undertake a system of internal audit to evaluate the
prevailing standards of patient care, also including staff and patient feedback. This
standard is by the delivery of patient -focussed care and taking care of the needs of the
patients.
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Go to University Library link -> there copy paste the reference
and check their link, as my personal library log in link might
not work for you / GO TO GOOGLE SCHOLAR FOR
REFERENCE LINKS
Reference List
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Francis, R., 2015. Culture, compassion and clinical neglect—probity in the NHS after Mid
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D., Pasztor, M., Oliver, S., Planche, T. and Sandoe, J.A.T., 2016. The impact of the
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Jansari, A., Cocchini, G., Jenkinson, P., Bajo, A. and Ietswaart, M., 2015. NHS ethics: Shoe-
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NHS Commissioning Board, April 2013. Commissioning Policy: Ethical framework for
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Swift, C., 2016. Hospital chaplaincy in the twenty-first century: The crisis of spiritual care
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