CQC identifies improvements are needed at Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

19 March 2014

The Care Quality Commission has told Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust that improvements are required to ensure patients receive services that meet national standards of safety and quality.

This follows an unannounced inspection at Tameside General Hospital in January 2014 which was carried out to check if the trust had made the improvements required following our last inspection in May 2013, and to follow up on concerning information received by CQC.

Inspectors talked to over 150 patients, relatives and staff and most spoke positively about the recent changes in the leadership of the Trust and the improvements that were being made in the hospital. Patients and relatives also spoke highly of the friendly and caring approach of staff.

However, inspectors found that the Trust was failing to meet eight of the 11 national standards reviewed. Some of the key issues of concern were:

• Some staff did not demonstrate an adequate understanding of the legal requirements of the Mental Health Act 1983 and Mental Capacity Act 2005 which meant, on occasion, consent to treatment had not been properly obtained on behalf of patients who lacked mental capacity. Inspectors also found one patient who had been detained unlawfully in the hospital for several days.

• Some patients experienced delays in getting seen in the outpatient department. One person told inspectors their appointment had been cancelled four times

• Some elective operations had been cancelled due to bed shortages. For example, staff on the Women’s Health Unit told inspectors that on one day, six patients had had their operations postponed due to bed shortages.

• In some areas, the planning and delivery of care did not meet patients' individual needs, for example the support provided to patients with mental health conditions in the Emergency Department.

• There were not enough qualified staff to meet the needs of patients in the Medical Assessment and Admissions Unit (MAAU) and on some adult medical wards, which meant staff were rushing to complete tasks and some doctor assessments were delayed.

• In parts of the hospital, some staff did not adequately respect patients’ dignity when providing care and treatment.

The concerns identified by inspectors would normally lead to CQC taking enforcement action against the Trust. However, Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is currently in Special Measures and is already subject to enforcement action by Monitor. We have shared our findings with Monitor and asked them to address these as part of their overall improvement programme within the Special Measures regime.

We will also check the necessary improvements have been made when we conduct the first of our new-style, comprehensive inspections of this Trust, which will include a rating of key services and the Trust overall. This will take place in May 2014.

Malcolm Bower-Brown, CQC’s Regional Director for the North said:

“Although we were pleased to find improvement in some areas since our last inspection, our inspectors found a number of serious shortfalls against national standards.

“We have told the Trust where further improvements must be made to ensure patients and their families receive the service they are entitled to expect.

“We will return shortly to check that the necessary changes have been made and can be sustained for the future.

“As this Trust is currently in Special Measures and already subject to enforcement action by Monitor, we have also shared the findings of our inspection with Monitor and asked them to ensure the concerns we have identified are addressed as part of their overall improvement programme for the Trust.”

Ends

For further information please contact Kirstin Hannaford CQC Regional Communications Officer on 0191 233 3629.

The CQC press office can be contacted on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors

You can find reports on this provider at: Tameside General Hospital.

Inspectors found that the Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was failing to meet eight standards:

• Respecting and involving people who use services
• Consent to care and treatment
• Care and welfare of people who use services
• Safeguarding of people who use services from abuse
• Staffing
• Supporting workers
• Complaints
• Records