[5] In January 2014 the trust was the subject of an investigation by the Cabinet Office after the leaders of three clinical commissioning groups complained about recurring breaches of the cancer waiting time standard, delays in treatment and poor performance in the Accident and Emergency Department.

[6] The trust was one of 26 responsible for half of the national growth in patients waiting more than four hours in accident and emergency over the 2014/5 winter.

[12] A Care Quality Commission inspection in February and March 2016 found severe problems in the Accident and Emergency Department.

This appears to be related to “Extreme” pressures on emergency care which caused more spending on agency staff, the outsourcing of elective procedures, missing income from cancelled activity, and increased drugs costs.

[15] In 2007 the radiology department decided to deprioritise the reporting of “plain film” x-rays (as opposed to CT or MRI scans) because of rising demand and shortage of staff.