CQC asks Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to improve services

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has asked the Bluebell Ward at Prospect Park Hospital, part of Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, to improve its services following an inspection in May.

CQC undertook the inspection in response to a number of concerns which had been raised regarding areas which fell under the safe, effective and well-led key questions.

The inspection also looked at whether the trust had made improvements to their acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units since the latest comprehensive inspection in December 2016.

The CQC found that over the last 18 months the trust has had two very serious incidents which are still under investigation, although it observed good evidence that the trust was taking the right steps to improve risk assessment and management plans.

It also found that the risks associated with the garden access door on Daisy ward were not fully assessed and managed, and there were hooks attacked to the walls of the courtyard area outside the ward. Senior managers told CQC the purpose of them were to secure ladders to the walls to allow maintenance work to take place, but the risks associated with them had not been assessed and managed.

CQC additionally found that not all emergency medication was stored together and not all the wards had the same medication available.

Natasha Sloman, CQC Head of Hospital Inspection, said: “During this inspection we found a number of key areas at Bluebell ward which caused inspectors immediate concern. These included cleanliness of the environment, staffing levels, assessing and managing risk to patients and staff and good governance.

“The trust has been issued with three requirement notices where action must be taken to ensure they are meeting their legal requirements. We will continue to monitor the trust to ensure these requirements are met and improvements are made.

“The overall rating for the trust remains ‘good’.”

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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