'Inadequate' NHS Trust should be placed into special measures, say inspectors

An 'inadequate' NHS Trust which runs three hospitals in Redditch, Kidderminster and Worcester should be put into special measures, say inspectors.

In a report published today, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust needed to make "urgent improvements in a number of areas".

Among the areas of concern highlighted in the report were:

  • The Trust's staffing in a number of areas, resulting in an over reliance on temporary staff and 'locum doctors', putting extra strain on some services;

  • Consultant cover in the emergency department failing to meet with the College of Emergency Medicine’s workforce recommendations;

  • Waiting times still not meeting national standards, despite actions to taken to improve the way patients are received at the hospital and how they move between hospital services;

  • The lack of stability at board level.

The CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said:

Alexandra Hospital is among those run by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Credit: ITV News Central

Following the inspection in July, the CQC has highlighted a number of areas where the trust must improve, including:

  • The trust must ensure there are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to meet the needs of patients including carrying out daily ward rounds;

  • Risk assessments must be completed and used effectively to prevent avoidable harm, for example to stop patients developing pressure ulcers;

  • The trust must ensure that patients’ nutrition and hydration are fully assessed, recorded and acted upon promptly if necessary;

  • A robust system must be developed to ensure children and young people with mental health needs are suitably risk assessed when admitted to services to ensure the care and support meets their needs.

Despite the overall rating of Inadequate, inspectors identified a number of areas of Outstanding practice across the trust, including the quality of care and maternity and gynaecology services

Professor Sir Mike Richards added:

In response to the report, the Trust's Chief Executive, Chris Tidman, said:

Campaigners fear that the report will mean The Alexandra Hospital in Redditch is downgraded. The "Save The Alex" group say the hospital's management should be dissolved and a new trust should run the hospitals:

"It's clear now WAHT must go and either be broken up and the pieces taken on by different providers or taken over as a whole. What cannot happen is this report is used to justify a major downgrade of the Alex and we call on our MPs and our health service to ensure that does not happen."