Hertfordshire hospitals trust rated 'inadequate'

The report said patients arriving at the emergency department at Watford General Hospital were not always seen by a clinician in a timely way

A Hertfordshire NHS trust is facing being placed into special measures after it was rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC said it was "concerned about the safety and quality of care" at West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust.

The Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Prof Sir Mike Richards, said he was also concerned about low staff morale.

The hospitals trust said it was working to ensure "care is consistent across all our services".

The CQC said the trust, which runs Watford Hospital, St Albans Hospital and Hemel Hempstead Hospital, needed to make a number of improvements to ensure it was consistently delivering a service which was safe, effective and caring.

'Disappointing news'

In the emergency department at Watford General Hospital, patients arriving were not always seen by a clinician in a timely way, with untrained staff being used to assess and direct patients.

Facilities in some areas across the trust were in a poor state of repair and caused a potential risk to staff and visitors and equipment such as resuscitation equipment was not always appropriately checked.

Prof Richards said: "We were concerned about the safety and quality of care provided by some of the trust's services and there was little evidence of trust-wide learning.

"We were struck by the low morale of many of the staff."

Jac Kelly, the trust's interim chief executive, said: "The report is clearly disappointing news for staff who daily go above and beyond to ensure our patients receive the care and treatment they deserve and need. The majority of our staff were found to be caring and compassionate but we are very sorry for where we have fallen short.

"I am confident that the energy and focus of staff in continuing to deliver improvements that are already making a difference for patients, together with the support we will receive through special measures, means we will progress even faster."