THURROCK Labour politicians have expressed deep concern over the quality of healthcare for the borough's residents following the release of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report rating Basildon, Broomfield and Southend Hospitals as inadequate.

The report, published yesterday and featured on Thurrock Nub News, highlighted areas of concern include staffing levels, access to services, keeping patient records up to date, ensuring that patients are adequately fed, ensuring timely discharge and making sure that equipment is in working order, accompanied by a backlog a repair issues across the estates.

Labour's Cllr Mark Hooper, chair of the council's health and wellbeing overview and scrutiny committee said: "The CQC report makes for grim reading and is indicative of a healthcare system that is struggling to cope with patient demand.

"As someone with a background in adult social care, I know that the knock on effects of a hospital stay where someone doesn't receive the care and treatment they need in a timely manner can be devastating.

"The report was published less than a week after Thurrock's current Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price made the claim that Thurrock residents are "broadly happy and broadly satisfied" with healthcare services.

The Nub News report

"I note the measures that the Trust have put in place to address these issues, however people need to feel safe and supported when undergoing hospital treatment - I will be inviting senior managers from the trust to the scrutiny committee to hold them to account and ensure that the necessary measures they have identified are taken."

Jen Craft, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Thurrock said: "The situation in Thurrock is the result of over a decade's worth of deliberate underfunding and mismanagement of our NHS by the Conservative Government – a situation that our local MP thinks that people are "broadly happy and broadly satisfied" with.

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"It doesn't have to be this way.

"People in Thurrock desperately need a Labour Government who will train thousands more doctors, nurses and midwifes to ensure that, good quality, life-saving healthcare is available to them when they need it."