THE Care Quality Commission (CQC) has imposed conditions on Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital NHS Trust’s registration to ensure issues relating to patient safety and care are urgently addressed.
CQC found the Trust is not meeting four regulations relating to care and welfare of patients, staffing, supporting workers, and safety and suitability of premises. Five conditions have been imposed.
CQC has stated that the Trust must take urgent action to ensure:
· all in-patients have an assessment of their needs, and that a care plan and risk assessment are prepared
· premises are safe from legionellas by taking action set out by the Health and Safety Executive
· an action plan must be in place to address concerns arising from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s review, published in March 2010
· clinical staff are assessed and trained to implement NICE guidance on the care of acutely ill patients in hospital
· systems for supervision and appraisal of staff are in place
Frances Carey, regional director for CQC in the East region, said: “We have registered Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with conditions in relation to four regulations.
“These conditions have been imposed so that the trust takes the necessary action to improve patient safety and care as a matter of urgency. We are focused on ensuring these improvements are made for people who use the services of both Basildon and Orsett Hospitals.
“We will not hesitate to use our powers to ensure this happens and continue to work with other regulators, such as the Health and Safety Executive and Monitor. CQC will continue to keep a close eye on progress. After 1 April, compliance is no longer optional.”
The trust has been the subject of close scrutiny by regulators and other monitoring bodies for some time.
CQC’s concerns first arose after the regulator visited the trust during the summer of 2009. This gave rise to concerns about the provision in the accident and emergency department, specifically with regard to children, the department’s environment and nursing care. This report was passed to Monitor, the regulator of Foundation Trusts.
In November 2009, Monitor exercised its formal powers of intervention by appointing a task force to work with the trust, agreeing performance indicators against which the trust will be measured.
CQC has since visited the trust on a number of occasions, including a hygiene code inspection and follow up in November and December of 2009. As part of the registration process, which began in January, CQC visited the trust again to explore its concerns, including a risk summit in February, to assess the actions already started by the trust and any positive impact which has already been demonstrated.
The Commission will continue to work with the trust, and other agencies, to ensure that issues are addressed for the benefit of patients and staff.
CQC will be monitoring the trust’s progress in relation to its action plans and, under our new powers, take further action if the conditions imposed on its registration are not met within the specified time frames.
