27.01.16
Some ‘inadequate’ issues at Walsall trust linked to Mid Staffs closure
Some of the issues at Walsall Health NHS Trust can be attributed to a hike in emergency admissions following the dissolution of the former Mid Staffordshire FT, the CQC said as it recommended the provider be placed in special measures.
In its report, which rated the provider as ‘inadequate’, the CQC said Walsall saw an increase in demand following changes at Mid Staffs, which was closed down by the health regulator in November 2014 following its notorious patient deaths scandal.
This had in part caused a 23% rise in emergency admissions at Walsall between 2012-13 and 2014-15, which contributed to its poor performance during the CQC’s inspection in September.
The trust, which provides acute hospital and community health services for about 260,000 people, also reported alarming staffing levels in some areas, with workloads in the emergency department and maternity causing care to fall behind standards.
CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, Prof Sir Mike Richards, said he recommended to NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) that the provider be placed in special measures after a string of serious problems.
“Following our inspection we issued the trust with a warning setting out that significant improvement was immediately required in a number of areas including maternity services and emergency care,” he said.
“The trust has responded to our inspection findings and warning with a detailed plan for remedial action and we will return to undertake further inspections, including unannounced visits, to check that the necessary improvements have been made.”
Incident reporting was also variable across the provider, with training for complaints investigation to learn from previous mistakes needing to be properly implemented.
The trust’s chief executive, Richard Kirby, said the provider has been clear that it has faced challenges as a result of increasing demand “for some time”.
He added: “We have already taken important action especially in Maternity Services and are committed to working with our teams across the Trust to continue this improvement in the next 12 months.
“We have already acted since September but we understand that there is still a lot of work to be done over the next 12 months.
“We will be honest about where we are making progress and where we are not and will provide regular updates on our improvements and their impact.”