CQC inspection downgrades Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust in key areas

A Yorkshire hospital trust has been rated as requiring improvement for the second time in three years.

Areas of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have also been downgraded including ratings for safety, responsiveness, leadership, emergency care and surgery.

Watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill in November and December.

A report released today said: "We saw that leaders understood the issues the service faced. However, they didn't always manage services with timely and decisive action which has caused a deterioration in the quality of care."

It found the death rate at the hospital was "much worse" than the national average.

The report said that nursing levels in surgery were consistently below the safe and recommended levels on surgery wards and that managers had to do more to mitigate these risks.

Inspectors reviewed one diabetic patient who waited 16 hours before receiving a drink or food.

The only area the CQC said the trust wasn't failing was care giving to patients, rating it good.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has apologised. Chief executive Chris Long said: "Like many other trusts up and down the country we have experienced a sustained period of extreme pressure.

"Many of the areas they highlighted for improvement have already been addressed. We have a plan to open an intermediate care centre at Hull Royal Infirmary for patients who are medically fit to leave."

The report added that new staff had been recruited and it hopes "this soon starts to make a difference to ensure patients are safe."

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