24 May 2011
Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors have found that Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is failing to meet a number of the 16 essential standards of care for patients.
CQC carried out a review of Luton and Dunstable Hospital in response to concerns identified about the trust in February this year.
During a visit to the hospital CQC inspectors spoke with the relatives of patients and patients being cared for on wards 15 and 16, which are both elderly care wards.
Inspectors also reviewed information we hold about this provider, observed how people were being cared for, talked to staff and checked the provider’s records.
As a result, CQC raised immediate concerns with the trust, demanding that problems identified during the visit were addressed. Inspectors required the chief executive to provide plans showing how the trust would improve to meet the essential standards.
At Luton and Dunstable Hospital there were major concerns with four essential standards
Safe and coordinated care for people moving between different services: The trust has protocols in place relating to discharge processes. However, CQC had serious concerns these were not being consistently followed as people were being discharged without adequate planning. This had placed people at risk.
Protecting people from abuse and having respect for human rights: CQC was concerned that there were major failings across the hospital’s safeguarding arrangements. Safeguarding procedures and protocols in place were confused and fragmented and the trust had not followed the correct way of notifying other agencies about safeguarding incidents or concerns.
Supporting workers: Inspectors had concerns about the support for staff to carry out their responsibilities as there were a lack of supervisory or peer support arrangements in place. Some staff appraisals had been delayed and there was no formal evaluation, following statutory training, to ensure staff were fully competent in subjects such as safeguarding.
Reporting incidents or events that affect people using the service: CQC had serious concerns about failings in how the trust reports safeguarding incidents to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). This meant that CQC and Monitor, which also has a regulatory responsibility in relation to foundation trusts, were not aware of the number of such incidents at the trust.
CQC has been closely monitoring the trust since this review to confirm that urgent action had been taken to address the areas of concerns raised. Luton and Dunstable NHS Foundation Trust has responded positively to the feedback from the inspection and we continue to monitor the trust’s progress.
By law, providers of care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are meeting the essential standards of quality and safety. Inspectors will continue to review progress with the trust’s plans to address the areas of concern, including making unannounced visits to the hospital. A further report on the trust’s progress will be published shortly.
Frances Carey, Regional Director of CQC in the East of England, said:
“When we visited Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in February, we were so concerned about the quality of care provided to patients in the two wards that we visited that we raised immediate concerns with the trust.
“The essential standards of quality and safety laid down in law are the standards of care people should be able to expect in any hospital. These include respecting the dignity of patients, helping them to make informed choices about their care and treatment, ensuring their care and welfare and protecting them from unsafe practice and abuse. The care at Luton and Dunstable hospital fell short of some of these standards. The trust responded positively to the issues we raised, taking action immediately.
“We continue to work closely with our partner agencies, including Monitor, to ensure the essential improvements are made and sustained and we will continue to review the trust’s progress, including making further unannounced visits to check that this has happened.
“Where we have concerns we have a range of enforcement powers we can use to protect the safety and welfare of people who use the services we inspect.”
Ends
For further information please contact regional communications manager Louise Grifferty on 07717 422917 or Nicola Stewart on 0121 600 5344.
The CQC press office is also available on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Notes to editors
About the CQC: Snippet for press releases
About the Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.
We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.
Read our reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Luton and Dunstable Hospital.