Changes made by Spire Healthcare

Spire Healthcare has changed fundamentally from the time when Paterson practised in our hospitals. Patient safety and the quality of the care we provide is at the heart of everything we do. Here are some of the changes we have made.

• We now have consistent safety standards that operate at all of our hospitals. These did not exist at the time of Paterson
• We have changed the way we care for patients with cancer. Before they begin surgery, their case is now discussed by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians to assess whether surgery or other treatment is appropriate
• The leadership team has changed, both centrally and at both hospitals where Ian Paterson practised, Spire Parkway and Spire Little Aston
• There is comprehensive oversight of the performance of consultants at every level of the organisation, from individual hospitals through to the Group Board. If there is a concern about an individual consultant, we are able to spot this early, and act quickly
• We carry out a review of the work of consultants practising in our hospitals every two years. This review takes place every year for consultants who work only in private healthcare
• To help us monitor performance, we have much more robust data throughout our hospitals than ever before
• We encourage our staff, patients and consultants to speak up if they see something wrong. We have a strong whistleblowing policy and Freedom to Speak Up Guardians at every hospital, to whom people can speak confidentially
• We share information and data on patient safety and outcomes with NHS trusts that are local to our hospitals. We also work closely with other private hospital groups to improve best practice across the healthcare sector
• The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) regulatory regime is much tougher than it was a decade ago. The regime is the same for private hospitals as it is for NHS ones. Spire Parkway and Spire Little Aston were both rated ‘Good’ by the CQC, after inspections towards the end of 2019. 98% of Spire’s inspected hospitals are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC and its equivalents in Scotland and Wales

You can read more about patient safety and governance at Spire.