07.09.18
CQC takes enforcement action to work with NHSI at troubled Dudley foundation trust
The health inspectorate has issued an enforcement notice at a Dudley Group FT hospital in a bid to protect people after safety concerns surrounding the service
In an announcement yesterday, the CQC issued the action against the trust following its inspection at Russells Hall Hospital, which is currently rated as ‘requires improvement.’
Deputy chief inspector of hospitals in the central region Heidi Smoult said the CQC was “extremely concerned” with what was found after an inspection on 28 June.
Inspectors highlighted a number of concerns surrounding the triage, assessment and tracking of patients in the emergency department, particularly with regard to the management of patients with suspected sepsis.
The enforcement action from the health inspectorate is the latest poor rating of the facility after the CQC rated the urgent and emergency services department at the hospital as ‘inadequate’ in March.
In the most recent report, inspectors also found that care records were not always written and managed in a way that kept patients safe, and some staff raised concerns regarding the leadership style of some of the executive team, speaking of a poor culture and working environment.
Smoult said: “We have had ongoing concerns about the emergency department at Russells Hall Hospital and were extremely concerned at what we found during our inspection.
“Inspectors returned to the department in August to carry out a further inspection and a full report of this inspection will be published in due course. Meanwhile, we continue to monitor the trust extremely closely.
“We have also continued to escalate our ongoing concerns with partner organisations and to work with NHS Improvement to ensure that necessary steps are taken to improve safety for patients. The trust knows what it must do to ensure people receive the care they should be able to expect and we will return to check on whether sufficient improvements have been made.”
The trust has been told it must ensure all systems and processes in place identify and manage patients with deterioration are effectively followed, as well as ensure that staff must record an “accurate, complete and contemporaneous record” of the care provided to patients.
Inspectors also said the trust must also ensure there are sufficient numbers of suitably trained and competent staff, and deaths in the service “must be reviewed robustly,” with appropriate lessons from these being learned and shared.
NHE has reached out to the Dudley Group NHS FT for comment.
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