Three health trusts in the district are among hundreds across the country which have failed to take action on patient safety alerts issued to tackle problems which cause injury or death, a new study reveals.

Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) found 300 trusts in England, around three-quarters of the total, had not complied with at least one patient safety alert, although the deadline had passed.

It obtained the data, which covers 53 patient safety alerts issued between 2004 and 2009, from the Department of Health via a Freedom of Information request in December.

The alerts are issued by the National Patient Safety Agency and require NHS trusts to take action on certain problems. They include issues such as handwashing to prevent the spread of serious infections, action to avoid feeding tubes being fitted incorrectly and action to improve safety for patients receiving high doses of morphine.

Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust had failed to take action on 12 alerts, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, six and Bradford District Care Trust, three.

Patients have no way of knowing whether their trust has ignored the alerts because the information is not public, the charity said.

AvMA called for a Government investigation into the worst trusts, and said implementing the alerts by the required deadline should be mandatory.

A spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Trust takes patient safety very seriously and all alerts are treated with the utmost importance. The Trust has mechanisms in place to monitor these alerts and the executive directors are aware of the outstanding alerts.”

A spokesperson for NHS Bradford and Airedale said: “Making sure that patients receive care that is safe and effective with a good experience of the NHS is a top priority.

“Appropriate action has been taken for the alerts identified in the report.”

A spokesperson for Bradford District Care Trust said: “We are actively working on the required actions for these alerts. We share information with managers about the alerts to enable them to take the appropriate action needed. We have no other outstanding alerts.”