The Care Quality Commission has warned Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust that it must make further significant improvements to the quality of its services.
During an unannounced inspection in January CQC found continuing concerns in surgery, critical care, maternity, and outpatient services.
A full report has been published today.
Inspectors found that although there had been improvements in some areas, notably in children's services, the trust had failed to make enough progress since its last comprehensive inspection in July 2017.
As a consequence CQC has issued a further Warning Notice requiring the trust to make significant improvements by 13 April.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust remains in special measures after the previous inspection rated surgery, maternity and gynaecology, end of life and outpatient services as Inadequate.
The trust is rated Inadequate overall.
During the latest inspection there were serious concerns that systems to assess and deal with risks to patients in maternity and surgery were not operating effectively.
Governance systems were not operating effectively in critical care and the fracture clinic to support significant and sustained improvement.
Systems and processes to ensure equipment was of good repair and properly maintained were not operating effectively.
Nor were there effective systems for the management of incidents and Never Events, or to comply with the requirements of the duty of candour.
The Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, said:
“It is disappointing to report that our longstanding concerns persist about the safety and quality of some services at Treliske Hospital.
“The hospital's systems to assess or mitigate the risks to patients are not good enough. We found that patient safety issues are not being given sufficient priority, either in the maternity unit or in surgery.
“However I am satisfied that the trust has taken action to ensure that cardiac and ophthalmology patients waiting for appointments are now being appropriately assessed and managed according to their clinical need. In services for children and young people, there is now appropriate and sufficient staffing cover in the emergency department.
“In all other areas work is still needed to meet the requirements of the previous Warning Notice and so provide the standard of service that patients are entitled to expect. We will continue to monitor these services closely and we will return in future to check these changes have been made.”
A full report of the inspection is available on our website.
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It is disappointing to report that our longstanding concerns persist about the safety and quality of some services at Treliske Hospital
Professor Ted Baker, Chief Inspector of Hospitals