N&N hospital told it must improve

The Norfolk and Norwich University hospital has been told it must improve after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission found concerns over safety, effectiveness and leadership.

In particular worries were raised about a shortage of nursing staff which impacted on the care offered by the trust, which treats more than 800,000 people.

And there were not enough staff in critical care, maternity and the specialist palliative care teams to provide cover in line with national guidelines.

The hospital was rated as "requires improvements" overall, with concerns also raised over bed capacity. Inspectors found staff felt pressurised to take patients who were not suitable for their wards.

But the CQC did see a lot of good areas of practice - in particular the care and respect shown to patients. Inspectors said they were particularly impressed by the "professionalism and efficiency of the urgent and emergency services, and critical care services" which were rated as good overall.

Nurses in the emergency department were picked out for their "outstanding care, leadership and treatment of patients".

Click below to see Malcolm Robertson's report