The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report following an unannounced inspection of two services at Southport and Formby District General Hospital, run by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, in January.
An unannounced focused inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s routine monitoring activity in medical care (including older people’s care), as well in spinal injuries services at Southport and Formby District General Hospital.
Inspectors did not rate the services following the latest inspection. Southport and Formby District General Hospital’s registration changed in July 2023 when it was acquired by another NHS trust; its overall rating when it was run by the previous provider was requires improvement.
The overall rating for Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust remains as outstanding.
In both services, inspectors found:
- Staff had the right training and experience to keep people safe. They knew how to identify and protect people from abuse, and managed safety well
- Leaders had policies and procedures in place to keep people safe. They monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent
- There was enough nursing and medical staff to keep people safe, however there wasn’t enough dieticians or speech and language therapists to deliver effective therapeutic care. They also didn’t have a seven-day dietetic or speech and language service
- Staff kept good care records and they were easy to access.
In medical care, inspectors found:
- Staff provided good care and treatment and made sure people had enough food and drink, including people with specialist nutrition and hydration needs
- Although staff kept good care records, they were not always stored securely.
In spinal injuries, inspectors found:
- Staff weren’t up to date with Mental Capacity Act training, although they knew how to support people who lacked capacity and how to access the trust’s policy and get advice if they needed to.