15 November 2002
A damning report from the Commission for Health Improvement identified a catalogue of problems in the trust's radiology department, which performs ultrasound scans.
A backlog of 2,700 built up because of the 'chaotic shambles' the department was in and no attempts were made to clear it, even though staff knew the situation, the report said.
Ultrasound requests were 'routinely' ignored: they were performed only when patients or their GPs complained and not because of clinical priority.
Chi chief executive Peter Homa said: 'It is a matter of luck that no patient appears to have suffered a serious adverse outcome. The situation was not properly managed over a considerable period of time.'
Trust chief executive Paul O'Connor said Barnet, which received a zero-star rating this summer, accepted the commission's findings. He said that since the backlog had been identified, staff had made strenuous efforts to put things right.
'We apologise to our patients and their GPs… Our performance was unacceptable. This should never have happened and will not happen again. Lessons have been learned,' he added.
PFnov2002
