James Wild MP has met Jo Segasby, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Delivery Officer for the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group, to review the QEH’s performance and the issues facing patients and staff.
During the meeting, James raised performance against the national waiting time targets including for the emergency department, cancer care, and other key measures, as well as the concerning findings from recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.
The CQC’s recent assessment of surgical services found breaches of regulations relating to care and treatment, premises and equipment, alongside concerns about governance and staffing pressures. James raised concerns on behalf of patients and pushed for clear action to address the CQC’s findings and improve performance in these areas and culture.
Other areas for improvement include emergency department care where on average 8,000 patients attend every month and latest data show more patients waiting longer than 4 hours to be seen, while fewer are waiting over 12 hours. Plans to improve performance include a £2 million investment to create additional triage and treatment rooms to support faster care while a redesigned layout will make the department easier to navigate and create a more comfortable experience for patients and their families.
The meeting also covered the decision by the University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia to suspend undergraduate medical student placements at the QEH for 2026/27. The decision followed concerns about the learning environment, governance, and culture at the hospital. James underlined his concern at this decision and impact on the Trust and patient confidence. He was assured a thorough review process was underway to tackle these issues.
James also raised several individual patient cases, as well as wider points on how complaints are handled, and how the hospital learns from concerns raised by patients and their families.
After the meeting, James said:
“My role is to continue to push for better care for patients locally and the Care Quality Commission highlighted serious issues with the surgical care and the decision to suspend medical student places highlighted further concerns.
That’s why I raised those matters urgently with QEH leadership and pressed for action to respond and deliver improvements. I will continue to challenge and support QEH to provide better patient care.
“It is encouraging that fewer patients are waiting more than 12 hours in A&E and I welcome the further changes and investment in the Emergency Department. We also reviewed the progress on the new hospital with the appointment of Skanska to deliver the project and the good progress on the multi-storey car park.”
