multidisciplinary team root cause analysis: impact on clinical care and circumvention of financial penalties posed by clinical commissioning groups, but at what cost?

Background: In Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in addition to an on-the-spot investigation into hospital-onset infection (CDI) by the infection prevention team, a multidisciplinary team root cause analysis (MDT-RCA) forum has been developed. The MDT-RCA aims to deliver a more thorough investigation into individual cases and the recommendation of cases to the clinical commissioning groups (CCG) appeals panel against potential financial penalties (£10,000 per breached case). We mainly aimed to investigate the financial impact of MDT-RCAs to the Trust.

Outbreak of pertussis among healthcare workers in a hospital maternity unit.

In December 2015, an outbreak of pertussis was detected among staff working in the Maternity Unit of a district general hospital in Hampshire. This occurred in the background of increased pertussis activity in the community. The outbreak occurred over the Christmas holiday period causing staff shortages at a time when the departments were already overstretched.