Hospital bosses urged to chant 'we can do this' over improving poor A&E waiting times

They were among leaders of about 60 trusts failing to meet the four-hour A&E treatment target who were summoned to a meeting in London called by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Chief executives were divided into four regional groups.

Paul Watson, NHS England’s regional director for the Midlands and east of England, then encouraged those in his group to chant 'we can do it' when discussing how they could improve their A&E waiting times.

One chief executive said: “It was awful – the worst meeting I’ve been at in my entire career. Watson said ‘I want you to all chant ‘we...can...do...this’. It was awful, patronising and unhelpful, and came straight after the whole group had just been shouted at over A&E target performance and told that we were all failing and putting patient safety at risk.”

According to online trade magazine Health Service Journal, Mr Watson told trust bosses that they were initially chanting too quietly and that they should chant the slogan again but louder, and 'take the roof off' with the noise.

The Express & Star approached hospital trusts in the Black Country and Staffordshire and asked them whether their chief executives were at the event.

Chief executives from Wolverhampton's New Cross and Sandwell General Hospital were not present at the meeting.

The trust which runs Stafford County Hospital and the Royal Stoke refused to comment.

And at the time of print there was no response from Dudley's Russells Hall or Walsall Manor.

Mr Watson said: “If anyone found my session inappropriate in any way then I can only apologise – it was meant as light relief rather than brainwashing.

“As I said at the event, this can be done. If that seems cheesy or patronising then so be it but it does have the merit of being true."

A list of hospital trusts which have consistently breached the four-hour A&E target in the Midlands includes: the University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust, which runs Stafford's County Hospital and the Royal Stoke; Walsall Healthcare Trust, which runs Walsall Manor; as well as the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust, and Heart of England Trust in Birmingham.