England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals has welcomed improvements at Weston General Hospital following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.
A team of inspectors from CQC visited Weston General Hospital in August 2018 to follow up on the concerns identified in a Warning Notice served in March 2017, following an inspection of the trust.
At the time CQC was concerned at the risk to patients waiting to be admitted, or receive care and treatment through the emergency department.
Subsequently Weston Area Health Trust decided to close the temporarily emergency department at night time to address concerns caused by a shortage of medical staff.
The latest inspection by CQC has found that the trust has addressed all of the actions required by the Warning Notice.
Mary Cridge, Head of Hospital Inspection for the South West, said:
“It is clear that there has been a significant improvement for patients attending Weston General Hospital during the day time.
"Previously we found there were not enough staff to meet patients’ needs. We have now found staffing and systems to manage the patient flow throughout the department and strengthen the management of risk.
“People are not waiting so long. The trust has improved its performance against the national standard which requires 95% of patients being treated within four hours.
“The trust must continue the good work and we will continue to monitor services closely and return in the future to check on progress.”
Inspectors found a number of improvements had taken place since the comprehensive inspection published in March 2017. These included new systems, staff changes and reconfiguration of premises.
There was now a process for the management of accident and emergency patients waiting in the corridor adjacent to the emergency department which was understood by staff. For patients being treated in the corridor, records could be safely stored in lockable cupboards.
The processes to manage patient movement across the department through the hospital had been reviewed and strengthened. Senior staff were driving change and improvement.
There was evidence of regular dialogue between the patient flow team and the emergency department. There was a clear escalation process for the department if demand surpassed capacity.
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It is clear that there has been a significant improvement for patients attending Weston General Hospital during the day time.
Mary Cridge, Head of Hospital Inspection for the South West