Russell's Hall Hospital needs safeguarding improvements

Safeguarding concerns and staffing levels were raised by inspectors following the visit to the paediatric emergency unit in February

Improvements are needed at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital, inspectors have said, to better protect children.

An unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) followed reports of safeguarding concerns at the paediatric emergency unit.

The watchdog found while safeguarding policies were in place, staff did not always follow these, while staffing levels were also a concern.

The hospital trust said it had worked to address issues raised.

Diane Wake, chief executive of the hospital trust, said teams were making "sustained improvements" to ensure children and young people were safe within their care.

The paediatric emergency unit was not rated during the inspection and the overall rating for Russells Hall Hospital and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust remains "requires improvement".

Charlotte Rudge, the CQC's deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said the biggest concern during the visit in February was how staff were implementing safeguarding policies.

Shortage of nurses

"There was a safeguarding children's policy in place which explained roles and responsibilities. However, staff didn't always follow this which could place young people at risk," Ms Rudge said.

She added the understanding of staff also varied.

"This included when a child was known to be vulnerable, there was a lack of awareness in how to assess or treat them while safeguarding them effectively," Ms Rudge said.

Inspectors said staff did not actively use national or locally agreed screening tools to help identify children with additional risks and vulnerabilities.

The CQC report, published on Thursday, also highlighted a "concerning" shortage of nurses.

However, inspectors said leaders at the hospital trust had been "proactive" with recruiting nursing staff and had developed recruitment events and interactive videos to encourage prospective applicants.

Ms Wake said the trust had taken immediate action after concerns were raised by the CQC and had improved safeguarding measures.

"We have improved safeguarding training compliance, which now stands at 100% among nursing staff in the department," she said, adding that teams had visited the department daily and had conducted safeguarding audits.

Following the inspection, the trust had provided a comprehensive action plan with evidence to address concerns, the CQC said.

The watchdog added that it would continue to monitor the trust.