CQC lifts registration conditions on Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Foundation Trust

14 July 2010

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) today (Wednesday) said Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has made necessary improvements to its accident and emergency department at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby.

The regulator will now lift the conditions it had imposed on the trust’s licence on 1 April, when it introduced a tough new registration system for NHS trusts. Northern Lincolnshire and Goole was one of 22 trusts registered with conditions to improve aspects of quality and safety.

CQC had previously identified concerns during an inspection of A&E at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital on 14 and 15 January. Inspectors found that some patients admitted by ambulance were being made to wait in a corridor area prior to triage and their medical problems weren’t always properly investigated.

CQC imposed conditions, requiring the trust to take action by 1 April to ensure:

• all ambulance patients are seen by a senior clinician as soon as possible after arrival at A&E
• there are systems to regularly assess and monitor the quality of services provided by the A&E department. This includes taking action to identify and minimise risks.

To check whether the necessary improvements had been made, CQC made an unannounced site visit on 26 and 27 May. Inspectors interviewed patients and staff and reviewed relevant documentation.

CQC found that the arrangements for receiving, monitoring and treating patients arriving by ambulance had improved. It reported that:

• a nurse is responsible for “triaging” patients upon arrival
• protocols are in place to ensure faster handover of patients from ambulance to A&E staff
• about 68% of people arriving in an ambulance were triaged within 15 minutes
• the hospital has secured funding for a new triage area
• the trust board will scrutinise the top 10 risks for each department
• nurses interviewed said more incidents were being reported
• A&E staff have more input into clinical governance arrangements.

Jo Dent, CQC’s regional director for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “We arrived unannounced so we could see the A&E department as patients experience it. It

was clear to our inspection team that a considerable amount of work had gone into improving the department. There are now better systems in place to ensure patients arriving by ambulance are seen quickly and by a clinician, such as a nurse.

“We’re also very pleased to see the trust working closely with its Local Involvement Network (LINk) to secure funding for a new triage unit. This collaborative approach is to be commended.

“Finally, I would like to thank the patients, visitors and staff who provided us with vital evidence during our visit.”

The Care Quality Commission will continue to monitor improvement through the new registration process, returning to the trust, if necessary, at regular intervals.

Ends

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Notes to editors