Ipswich MP Jack Abbott spoke out after a Care Quality Commission report rated East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s leadership as “requires improvement”.
The report found patient safety risks at Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, caused by weak oversight, decision-making and delivery of priorities.
Mr Abbott said: “This report makes for difficult reading and the concerns identified by the CQC must be taken extremely seriously.
Ipswich MP Jack Abbott will share the findings of the survey (Image: Roger Harris/House of Commons)
“Patients deserve confidence that any and all concerns are acted upon without delay.”
The CQC inspected the trust in November 2025, before recent leadership changes including Paul Scott’s appointment as chief executive, Mr Abbott said.
He said: “Since then, there has been a clear acknowledgement of the challenges facing the trust and a renewed determination to drive improvement.
“I welcome the commitment to reducing emergency waiting times and ending corridor care once and for all and have spoken to the new chief executive about this very issue.
Ipswich Hospital’s A&E statistics have been revealed (Image: Lucy Taylor)
“No patient should be treated in a waiting room or car park, without dignity or privacy.”
Inspectors found that staff did not always monitor patients’ basic needs, including food and fluids, while people needing mental health support faced delays in A&E.
Caroline Hennessy, UNISON Eastern’s head of health, said the findings exposed a gap between dedicated staff and senior leaders.
Caroline Hennessy (Image: UNISON)
Ms Hennessy said: “The dedication of staff shines through this CQC report, but there’s only so much they can do when senior leaders refuse to listen.
“Trust leaders need to get their house in order and start properly engaging with staff so they can provide the best service possible to patients.”
ESNEFT accepted the CQC’s findings and highlighted major leadership changes since the inspection.
Paul Scott (Image: ESNEFT)
Chief executive Paul Scott and trust chair Tracy Dowling said: “We accept and recognise the findings of the CQC’s well-led assessment and the opportunities it highlights for us, as a new leadership team, to continue improving.”
The CQC said it had issued warning notices at both hospitals after finding leaders had not acted quickly enough to reduce risks of avoidable harm.