HEALTH secretary Andy Burnham is facing calls for a probe into “shocking” death rates at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Trust hospitals.

Campaigners claim that hundreds of patients have died unnecessarily during the Leigh MP’s reign.

Now opposition MPs and constituents have called for an inquiry and challenged a Care Quality Commission decision not to investigate past deaths.

The CQC are now having a re-think and a decision is imminent.

The Trust was given Foundation Trust status last year, and managers say they brought the death rate back below average at the end of 2008-9.

Furious representatives from the local Cure the NHS Action group quit a meeting with health chiefs this week after tempers flared.

Four bereaved families from the organisation, formed to highlight the death rates, left the Health Scrutiny Committee meeting at Wigan Town Hall before police were called.

The families, who have complained about the loss of loved ones treated in Trust hospitals, met the chief executive officers of the Trust and the PCT, Andrew Foster and Peter Rowe, respectively, David Valentine Medical Director of the PCT and Martin Farrier Deputy Medical Director of the Trust to state their cases, Organiser Miguel Cubells, son of former Leigh Infirmary nurse Eileen Cubells, 63, who died at Wigan Infirmary in November 2007, Dennis George, David Eaton and Paul Highton on behalf of their families, expressed concerns over the 900 plus patients who died “unexpectedly” between 2004 and 2008.

Mr Cubells said in 2007/8 there were more than 340 unexpected deaths.

Campaigners allege that the lack of past action by senior trust managers caused the deaths of many patients who were not expected to die.

They also want to know why it took so long to set up a mortality task group considering that this problem stretches back to 1998/99.

They claim, among other matters, that things do not add up with regards to the trusts current HSMR (hospital standardised mortality ratio) improvements for the year 08/09 which show an average total of 99.5.

Mr Cubells said: “For some unknown reason the Trust has had its expected death total increased, when in actual fact all the factors point to a decrease in expected deaths.”

The four health bosses presented their cases before the committee.

Mr Cubells, of Ferman Drive, Hindley, who has taken his mother’s case to the Health Care Ombudsman and called in the coroner, said: “Obviously some families have tragic stories. It all got rather heated, and we were told to leave. There was mention that the police would be called.

“The committee proposed that I work with the Trust in addressing the truly shocking figures. I am not entirely happy with this as I do not think the scrutiniser should be working too closely with the scrutinised.

“My group suggested that I be co-opted to the council committee. I am unsure what actions will be adopted. I will need to re-approach the council on this matter.”

“We feel strongly that the Trust has made real progress in manipulating the figures and hiding the truth. We hope to expose any wrong doing. This is peoples’ lives we are talking about here.

Mr Burnham, who said there had been “real progress” made at the Trust, met Mr Cubells to discuss the matter on Friday.

Engineer Mr Cubells can be contacted by email at nhsdisclosed@sky.com. The group website is wrightingtonwiganandleighexposed.co.uk.