NHS Trust Faces Scrutiny After Delays Linked to 28 Patient Deaths
A Greater Manchester hospital trust, the Northern Care Alliance (NCA), is under severe scrutiny after reports linked treatment delays and errors to dozens of patient deaths and severe harm, alongside 'never events' and maternity concerns. Staffing pressures are cited as a key factor, prompting CQC warnings and demands for independent scrutiny from local MP Rebecca Long-Bailey. The NCA acknowledges its challenges and states it has initiated organizational changes and is committed to learning and improvement.
The Northern Care Alliance (NCA), a major NHS trust serving more than one million patients across Greater Manchester, is facing mounting scrutiny after treatment delays were linked to 28 deaths and 56 cases of severe harm.
The trust also recorded 10 deaths associated with diagnostic problems last year, while 12,000 cases of delayed treatment were reported amid what managers described as persistently high staff sickness levels. Concerns have extended to patient safety, with 10 so-called “never events” recorded across 2025 and 2026, incidents considered preventable and often involving serious surgical errors.
Maternity services have also faced concerns following an increase in stillbirths, while the Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued a warning notice in February demanding “rapid and significant improvements.”
Inspections of Salford Royal Hospital and Fairfield General Hospital identified safety concerns across several services, while the trust has also apologised over the actions of surgeon John Bradley Williamson, who was found to have caused severe harm to patients.
Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey has called for stronger whistleblower protections and independent scrutiny, arguing that staff must be able to raise concerns safely without compromising patient care.
The NCA says it has restructured its organisation to give clinicians greater leadership responsibility and acknowledged the concerns raised by staff, while promising continued investigation, learning and improvement.
However, pressure is also mounting from workers, with Unison announcing strike action involving more than 350 employees, including nurses and clinical support workers, on August 24, 26 and 28. The dispute centres on the trust's use of NHS Professionals to manage overtime, adding another layer to the staffing and operational pressures confronting the organisation.