BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Healthcare NHS Trust is one of 11 hospital trusts which has been placed in special measures because of major failings, the health secretary announced this afternoon.

Speaking in the House of Commons ahead of the publication of Professor Sir Bruce Keogh's review, Jeremy Hunt said that tough action was needed at these hospitals.

Among the shortcomings noted for Bucks – which covers Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville Hospitals – were nursing staff failures in dealing with patients nutritional and medication needs and criticism over the care of patients with dementia.

Mr Hunt said Sir Bruce judged that "none of the 14 hospitals are providing consistently high quality care to patients, with some very concerning examples of poor practice".

Special measures will mean that:

• Each hospital will be required to implement the recommendations of the Keogh review, with external teams sent in to help them do this. Their progress will be tracked and made public;

• The NHS Trust Development Agency or Monitor will assess the quality of leadership at each hospital, requiring the removal of any senior managers unable to lead the improvements required.

• Each hospital will be partnered with high-performing NHS organisations to provide mentorship and guidance in improving the quality and safety of care.

These 11 hospital trusts will be reinspected within 12 months.

The three trusts which escaped special measures were also told to make improvements after the review.

Mr Hunt told the Commons: "Those 14 failing hospital Trusts are not the end of the story. Where there are other examples of unacceptable care we will find them and we will root them out.

"Under the new rigorous inspection regime led by the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, if a hospital is not performing as it should, the public will be told. If a hospital is failing, it will be put into special measures with a limited time period to sort out its problems."

Sir Bruce Keogh was asked personally by the Prime Minister to lead the review into 14 Hospital Trusts whose mortality ratios have shown higher-than-expected rates for the past two years.

It follows the publication of the Francis Report into catastrophic failures at Mid-Staffordshire Hospitals.

Click here for more on the findings at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

Click here for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust's response to the review.