Lib Dems to demand urgent Government action over ‘scandal’ of hospitals trust ranking

SERIOUS CONCERS: Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council

By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor

Hull City Council is set to call on the incoming Prime Minister to intervene urgently over the region’s hospitals trust being ranked the worst-performing in England.

A motion due to be debated at the next full meeting of the council on Thursday has been tabled by the Liberal Democrats, urging the Government to make improving healthcare in Hull and East Yorkshire an immediate priority.

The move follows the publication of NHS England performance data showing Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) – which manages Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital – is ranked 134th out of 134 acute trusts nationally.

The motion also asks the Government to establish an emergency action plan for healthcare services in Hull and East Yorkshire, backed by clear objectives, timescales and accountability measures to address the trust’s poor performance.

Councillors are also requesting additional investment to reduce waiting lists, improve emergency care, recruit and retain more healthcare professionals and modernise hospital facilities across the region.

The motion further proposes that the leader of Hull City Council, Councillor Mike Ross, writes to the Prime Minister, Health Secretary, local MPs and NHS leaders setting out the council’s concerns and requesting a prompt response.

Coun Ross described the situation as “a scandal” and said local people deserved far better.

He said: “One of the most important issues residents care about is the quality of their health service; in Hull, the evidence shows people have been let down.

“It is a scandal for the local community that Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is ranked as the bottom acute trust in the country. Hull deserves better.

“Any new Prime Minister has a choice: they can take real action to improve our health service, or they can leave it to decline like the governments of the past.

“We are calling on the new Prime Minister to put sorting out the issues affecting our local health services at the top of his in-tray. We need to see action straightaway and the new Government cannot ignore this issue.”

The proposed motion also makes clear that councillors recognise the commitment of NHS staff, praising frontline workers for continuing to deliver care despite “immense pressure”, longstanding workforce shortages and wider structural challenges facing the health service.