Hospital trust given staffing level warning

The Care Quality Commission has issued a warning to a troubled hospital trust, which has been blighted by reports of bullying.

The care watchdog carried out an unannounced inspection at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield in December.  Heartlands Hospital, which is also part of University Hospitals Birmingham, was also inspected amid concerns about children’s services.

The trust, which is on of England’s largest NHS trusts, has been heavily criticised over repeated cases of bullying and a toxic environment.

Following the visit, the CQC issued the hospital trust with a warning notice, meaning that it had until 15^th March to make the “significant improvements” that had been identified.

Inspectors said that when they visited, they found “staff working extremely hard under pressure” but highlighted the “compassion and kindness” towards patients.

Charlotte Rudge, CQC’s deputy director of operations in the Midlands, went on to say “However, we weren’t assured leaders were appropriately managing priorities and issues, or reducing risks to keep people safe in medical care at Good Hope Hospital, particularly around staffing levels, which must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

“Across all the services we visited, there wasn’t enough nursing staff to keep people safe and to provide the right care and treatment.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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