Health watchdog issues warning to Basildon hospital
Date posted: 27-08-2012
A HEALTH watchdog has issued a formal warning to Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital, saying it must make improvements to standards of care or face further action.
The warning from The Care Quality Commission (CQC) follows unannounced visits by inspectors to Basildon Hospital (pictured) in June and July which uncovered a number of failings reports the Thurrock Enquirer.
During the visits inspectors found improvements were needed in relation to assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.
Inspectors looked at care records for children and adults, observed how people were being cared for and spoke with staff and patients.
Inspectors found the systems in place to analyse and learn from incidents that had the potential to result in harm to people using the service, were ineffective.
A 15 minute waiting time limit for triaging child patients’ cases had been breached in all four of the cases inspectors looked at.
Records showed the trust was failing to identify, assess and manage risks relating to the health, welfare and safety of patients at the hospital.
There was no effective system in place to allow the trust to regularly assess and monitor the quality of services provided in relation to its acute services its acute services and so that staff would always recognise when a patient’s condition was deteriorating.
The Commision’s Deputy Director of Operations (regions), Andrea Gordon, said: “The law says these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant
“This warning sends a clear message that Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, needs to address this issue at Basildon University Hospital or face further consequences.
“Our inspectors will return in the near future and if we find that the required progress is not made we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers to protect the people who use this service.”
Following the same inspection CQC also issued the trust with a warning saying that improvements were needed in relation to the care and welfare of service users.
A deadline of 18 July was set for improvements to be made. CQC inspectors carried out a follow up inspection in relation to this standard on 1 August and found the trust had made improvements.
The report is the latest in a series of damning indictments of the hospital under the stewardship of chief executive Alan Whittle. Earlier this year he announced he would be stepping down and is due to be replaced in October by North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust Chief Executive Clare Panniker.
However, it seems he has one last challenge before departing.
Speaking after the CQC report was announced, he said: “The Trust takes the report very seriously, and has put in place a number of improvement actions to address the warning notices within the timescales set by CQC.
“The main area of improvement relates to the early initial assessment of patients in A&E, particularly for children, in order to identify those at greatest risk of deterioration, and therefore in need of urgent treatment. The need to make changes in this area was identified by the Trust, following a serious incident investigation in May. For the five weeks since the beginning of July, over 98 per cent of the 1,600 children attending A&E had a full, detailed clinical assessment within 15 minutes, and the remaining 2 per cent had a rapid assessment within 10 minutes of arrival. We are intent on maintaining this standard of service, and are recruiting additional children’s nurses.
“The Trust sent an action plan to the CQC on 14 August, the day that the report was published, which addresses the minor and moderate concerns. It was pleasing to note in the report that the CQC has acknowledged significant improvements in areas that have given cause for concern in the past, such as the trust’s continued efforts to ensure the safety of its water systems.
“As always, our highest priority is providing excellent and safe care for our patients. On occasions when we do not meet the high standards that they are entitled to expect, we take immediate action to rectify this.
“We value the constructive assessment from the CQC and the crucial role they play in helping us to continue improving our services for patients.”
MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock Stephen Metcalfe said: “I am very disappointed that despite the best efforts of staff and management that The Care Quality Commission still has a range of concerns about the service the hospital delivers.”
“Despite recent improvements, it is obvious more still needs to be done.”
“I have therefore arranged to meet chairman, Ian Luder, this week to discuss what further support I can give and how we can reassure local residents that they will get the care they expect when using the Hospital.”
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I’ve just shared this article on my FB page. Having had the most awful experiences at this dire hospital with my parents during the four years before their deaths in 2010, I am astonished that Basildon & Thurrock hospital retains its Trust status. It needs to be placed in special measures.
Alan Whittle has steered this place from disaster to disaster and really needed to be sacked years ago. In my experience it’s dirty, inhospitable and neglectful of its most vulnerable patients. The people of Basildon & Thurrock deserve better than this and it’s time the CQC and the government took steps to protect patients.
Whilst I really do sympathise with you Sue unfortunately it really hangs on what experience and treatment people encounter. I was diagnosed with the big C in 2010 within a month I underwent a major operation whch thankfully was successful.I am now receiving follow up checks on a regular basis.I can only say the treatment I received from the consultant surgeon,the nursing staff down to the young lad who served the tea was and continues to be exemplary.
I’m really glad to hear it Perman – I appreciate that you can only speak as you find.
My parents were regular patients in both A & E and various wards and I can honestly say there were very few positive experiences. I spent most of my time fighting for mum & dad’s basic rights, including dignity in their care, dry pyjamas, dry sheets and clean rooms. So many friends and family have had similar experiences with elderly relatives.
Once upon a time Thurrock Conservative Councillors would be issuing press releases and clambering for press interviews attacking the management of the hospital, demanding the resignation of the board of governors, calling for the hospital to be put in special measures etc, etc, etc.
Just before the elections of 2010 they used to issue monthly press release after monthly press release attacking Basildon Hospital, they were very pro active, they carried out inspections of the hospital, called the hospital bosses to the council to be questioned, demand management reviews, submitted motions to be debated by Thurrock Council and even called for the entire Board of Governors to resign (at a time when two Labour Councillors and a former Labour Councillor were on the Board of Governors).
Of course the cynical amongst us would look back at the activity before and then after the elections of 2010 and come to the conclusion this was done for electoral purposes only to gain votes and the inaction since proves this.
For the past 20 months it would appear there hasn’t been a peak from them. The silence from the Conservative Councillors at Thurrock Council has been deafening.
Over the past 20 months, as far as I can see, there have been no motions at Full Council attacking the hospital; no calls for Health bosses to be cross examined by the Health and Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Committee; no inspections by Conservative Councillors; no calls for the Board of Governors to resign; no press releases from Conservative Councillor’s about the hospital.
After so much hype and so many words it’s almost as if Thurrock’s Conservative Councillors have been struck dumb on the whole issue of the NHS trust.
The monthly press releases strangely stopped just before the Local Council and General Elections held in May 2010 with just a Conservative Motion debated in June 2010 and interview from Aveley Conservative Councillor Wendy Herd attacking the perceived arrogance of the Trust in December 2010 being reported on since.
So much for Councillors pledges to hold the Trust to account and keeping residents informed about what is going on.
Of course it is far easier to attack the management of the hospital when we had a Labour Government and when no Thurrock Conservatives sat on the board of governors.
Will residents hear anything from the once so vocal Thurrock Conservative about this latest report? Will they be submitting any motions to be debated at the next Full Meting at Thurrock Council? Will Conservative members on the Health and Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Committee be demanding health bosses be questioned and cross examined by local councillors? Will they be demanding Government intervention? Will they be demanding the resignation of the entire Board of Governors? Or, like the past 20 months, will they do absolutely nothing?
Below is a list of the press articles where the Conservatives attacked the management of the hospital, starting in December 2009, coincidently reaching peak just before the local and general elections, and then nothing from December 2010 onwards.
2nd December 2009
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2009/12/02/health-bosses-called-to-council/
2nd December 2009
http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/4773544.Council_demands_hospital_meeting/
6th January 2010
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2010/01/06/complacent-hospital-boss-quizzed-by-council/
6th January 2010
http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/4837071.Basildon_Hospital_still_needs_to_improve_says_councillor/
23rd February 2010
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2010/02/23/health-bosses-slammed-by-council/
23rd March 2010
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2010/03/23/council-inspects-basildon-hospital/
2nd April 2010
http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/6423769.Thurrock_councillor_inspects_Basildon_Hospital/
17th June 2010
http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/8225194.Thurrock_Council_gets_tough_on_Basildon_Hospital/
19th June 2010
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2010/06/19/hospital-review-called-for/
22nd June 2010
http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/archive/2010/06/22/Basildon+News+%28basildon_news%29/8230801.Council_demands_Basildon_Hospital_management_review/
20th December 2010
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2010/12/20/thurrock-councillor-slams-basildon-hospitals-breathtaking-arrogance/
28th December 2010
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2010/12/28/tories-keep-pressure-on-health-issues/