HEALTH bosses have reacted with shock after a charity announced it is building a dossier of evidence about risks to patient safety at Stoke Mandeville hospital.

Independent disability charity BuDS said officials had approached it in recent weeks in confidence with serious concerns about patient safety.

But hospital chiefs accused the organisation of being irresponsible.

Bucks Healthcare, in charge of the hospital, said in a statement: “We are both shocked and concerned to learn from the Bucks Free Press that Andrew Clark of BuDS is encouraging local people to contact the charity direct rather than our organisation with issues about care in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Also that BuDS is allegedly in receipt of “concerns about patient safety” of which we are unaware.

“Patient safety and clinical quality is our utmost priority and we work hard at being an open organisation that listens and responds to all feedback. We have had no direct contact from Mr Clark and will be in touch with BuDS today to encourage the immediate sharing of any specific information with us.

“In light of the scrutiny the NHS is currently under, it feels irresponsible of BuDS to potentially worry patients by hinting at issues in this way while keeping the Trust in the dark. We will again be reminding all our staff of their duty of candour and the many ways in which they can raise concerns if they have them.

"We would also like to remind anyone externally that we strongly encourage direct contact about issues so that we can take action on their behalf.”

The Charity stated after receiving alarming reports from various sources at Stoke Mandeville, it had decided to build a dossier to send to the Care Quality Commission.

Andrew Clark, Chair of the BuDS Trustees said: “In the last few weeks, a number of sources at Stoke Mandeville hospital have approached BuDS in confidence, expressing serious concerns about patient safety at the hospital. These concerns range across many departments and areas of clinical practice.

“According to some sources, these serious issues have been raised internally with senior managers at Stoke Mandeville hospital, only to be frustratingly ignored. In these circumstances, remembering the incidents at Stafford, BuDS has decided to build a dossier of evidence with the intention of submitting it to the Care Quality Commission.

“I need to stress that BuDS is looking for specific ‘hard’ evidence we can present to the CQC, such as details of a situation where patient safety is at risk or compromised through lack of resources or a bad clinical or administrative system.”

The charity said all information will be treated in absolute confidence and details of individuals or information which might identify them will not be released.

Mr Clark said: “Anyone - patient, relative or staff - who comes forward will have their identity protected even within the BuDs organisation, or evidence can be sent anonymously via our website.”