Member of Parliament for the Gainsborough Constituency, Sir Edward Leigh MP, has backed the Conservative-led coalition government’s move to take eleven NHS hospital trusts into special measures, following the publication of Keogh Review.

In consideration of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which operates Lincoln County Hospital, The review found:

• Inadequate staffing levels and shift planning, particularly out of hours
• Nurse staffing levels during one unannounced visit were so low the review team reported it to the CQC for investigation
• The review also found a "disconnect" between the board and senior clinical staff
• There was also criticism of the care of patients and the complaints procedure
• Mental health patients may not be getting the correct care because of a lack of staff training in mental health legislation

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust serves 700,000 people, with its main hospitals in Boston, Grantham and Lincoln. Sir Edward said:

"The revelations concerning United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust have frankly been appalling. The public have a right to a decent standard of care and it is clear that has not been delivered. This is intolerable and Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is right to bring in swift and tough measures to alleviate this state of affairs.

"I have always been pleased and impressed by the great care I have received from the NHS, but it’s clear we still need to maintain a high level of scrutiny, doubly so as lives are on the line."

The trust said it accepted the review, including more than 90 examples of things it did well adding that it was spending £7 million this year and next year on hiring 200 more nurses from the UK, Spain and Ireland.