THE Beast from the East may have contributed to a higher than normal number of deaths at Colchester General Hospital.

Figures reveal 190 people died in the hospital in March this year.

It was a 26 per cent increase compared to the average figure for in-hospital deaths each March for the last five years.

It brought the total number of deaths at the trust last financial year to 1,894 - some 13 per cent higher than average.

The figures were revealed at the hospital trust’s board meeting yesterday.

The trust’s medical director Dr Barbara Buckley said the main reason for more deaths was the “unseasonably cold” weather in March - the so-called Beast from the East.

She said: “We are concerned when we see any increase like that so it is important we understand the reasons.

“The most likely cause was the cold weather.

“It is important people know we are working with the GPs as a total system to make sure people are able to die in their chosen place of death.

“It is important to predict when patients are coming to the end of their life.”

Dr Buckley said the trust worked with St Helena Hospice to improve opportunities for patients if they choose to die in their own homes.

This includes a palliative care team who liaise between the hospital and hospice, as well as it working with GPs, district nurses and nurses who specialise in end of life care.

She said: “If people are nearing the end of life but want to go home, we are trying to speed up the process to let them go home.”

A liaison nurse was recently recruited who works with the hospital, patients and their families to co-ordinate care.

Dr Buckley added: “It is important not only for the patient who dies but for the families.”

In 2013, an investigation was launched at the trust following higher than average death rates.

A Government rapid response review team swept through the hospital as part of Professor Sir Bruce Keogh’s investigation into 14 hospitals in the UK which had higher-than-average death rates.

The trust was ordered to improve its clinical leadership. with the aim of giving doctors, nurses and other health experts more influence over the running of services.

Four medics were appointed as divisional directors.

  •  The hospital trust has been shortlisted for three national awards in recognition of steps it takes to put patient safety first. It is a finalist in the Health Service Journal’s Patient Safety Awards 2018 for its recognition of deteriorating children who show signs of sepsis on presentation to the emergency department and how it uses IT to improve care. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Manchester on 9 July