THE initial findings from an independent review into whether staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital have been “coding” patients’ illnesses and causes of death incorrectly have showed there has been no inappropriate behaviour or manipulation of data.

An interim verbal report has been given to Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s interim chairman, David Wakefield, Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group’s chairman, Dr Wirin Bhatiani, and chief officer Su Long.

The review, which was launched after an investigation by health information expert Dr Foster brought up more questions than answers, is still ongoing.

There are still questions remaining as to why the trust has had so many septicaemia cases.

Antony Sumara, the man who “turned around” Mid Staffordshire between 2009 and 2011, and who is an expert in “troubleshooting” within the NHS, has been appointed interim chief executive and will start on Thursday.

And, following the verbal report, the Trust have decided to re-instate Dr Jackie Bene as medical director and deputy chief executive.

Dr Bene, who was then acting chief executive, “stepped aside” at the end of February after Dr Foster discovered “significant discrepancies” the hospital’s data.

Dr Foster reviewed coding in 150 cases of septicaemia at the trust after it recorded 800 cases during March, 2011 and April, 2012, when a similar-sized trust would expect to have 200.

Dr Foster found 76 of the 150 cases did not meet national coding standards, and 69 of these had been changed after they were coded.

On March 6, the trust and the CCG jointly commissioned a second independent review to look at clinical coding.

They brought in an independent team of experts — including Kathy Doran, an experienced chief executive, Dr Peter Williams, a medical director, and Ron Daniels, chief executive of the Sepsis Trust UK — to carry out a more clinical-based investigation.

Now, two weeks after the review began, Ms Doran said: “The members of the review panel are clear that there is no evidence that any coder or clinician within the trust has been deliberately directing coding either to seek financial gain or to unduly influence the various mortality ratios.”

The review will now look at the high rates of sepsis recorded by the trust and the reasons for this.

Mr Wakefield said: “The board has received the interim findings of the independent review into sepsis recording at the trust. These findings are that no inappropriate behaviour happened, and no attempt was made to manipulate figures.

“The review continues and will now focus on understanding why the rates of sepsis recorded by the trust are high.”

He said he was “very pleased” to welcome back Dr Bene, who would “focus on strengthening governance” in the trust.

Su Long, chief officer, Bolton CCG, said: “The preliminary verbal update given by the independent review team to me, hospital chair David Wakefield and CCG chair Dr Wirin Bhatiani last Friday has led to the trust’s decision to welcome back Jackie Bene.

“The clinical review has not yet been completed, and there is still more work to be done by the independent review team to fully answer the questions raised by Dr Foster’s report, which we are expecting to see in the review team’s report.”

Harry Hanley, secretary of Staff Side at the trust, said the initial findings showed that the clinical coders, who had been “under a great deal of stress” had done nothing wrong.

He said Staff Side had “100 per cent faith in Dr Bene” and welcomed her return to the trust.