Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Fumbles Chest X-Ray Reporting – Only Four Harmed, Say Officials
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust has finally spoken out after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) flagged serious delays in chest x-ray reporting back in 2017.
Board Reveals Lessons Learned After X-Ray Backlog Scandal
John Knighton, Medical Director at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said the trust pledged to update the public once the extent of the problem was fully understood. The trust’s Board has now reviewed an independent report and lesson-learned paper.
After examining over 30,000 delayed chest x-rays, the trust confirmed just four patients suffered significant harm due to unqualified staff interpreting their scans.
“Any patient harmed is one too many,” Knighton admitted. “We have contacted every patient or their family affected and offered our unreserved apologies for the distress caused.”
New Measures to Stop History Repeating Itself
- All Emergency Department chest x-rays now reviewed by trained specialists
- Trust reporting policies revamped to meet NHS-wide standards
- Dedicated radiographer training programmes introduced
- Additional clinical staff training rolled out
An independent investigation revealed previous governance failures at the trust, but praised the swift and “exemplary” improvements since the CQC’s report.
Trust Welcomes CQC Spotlight as Wake-Up Call
“Reflecting on the CQC inspection last July has been a catalyst for change,” said Knighton. “Their spotlight has forced us to take stock, gather evidence and overhaul systems to ensure top-quality care going forward.”
The trust reassures locals the vast majority of patients were safe despite the delay chaos — only one in ten thousand suffered serious harm.
