North Devon District Hospital patients at risk due to staff shortages

The CQC downgraded the Barnstaple hospital's rating for medical care services from good to requires improvement after the inspection in July

Patients at a hospital have been put at risk due to staffing issues, a report has found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found a shortage of medical and nursing staff at North Devon District Hospital.

It said it meant patient safety was not always maintained and there were some delays in discharging people.

Suzanne Tracey, chief executive officer for Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT), said it was in "a very challenging position".

'Reliance on agency staff'

The report raised the issue of delayed discharges, with one patient remaining in hospital with a wounded finger for 24 days, when they could have left after two or three days.

The CQC downgraded the hospital's rating for medical care services from good to requires improvement after the inspection in July.

Cath Campbell, CQC's head of hospital inspection, said they "found a high number of vacancies with a reliance on agency staff, and not addressing issues around the availability and responsiveness of medical staff for deteriorating patients. This put patients at risk of harm.

"Although nursing staff were quick to identify and act when they spotted patients who were at risk of deteriorating, medical staff did not always attend to these patients quickly.

"We saw two patients waiting an hour or more for the doctor to assess them and administer appropriate treatment."

'Very challenging position'

The report said staff felt pride in their role, were committed to improving services and treated patients with compassion and kindness.

The NDHT has been told to improve staffing levels to ensure safety.

Ms Tracey said the Trust was "not surprised" by the findings.

She added: "We have fantastic, caring and compassionate teams in northern Devon and clear strengths in the acute medicine service, but NDHT is undoubtedly in a very challenging position when it comes to recruiting medical staff to fill our vacancies.

"This is why NDHT sought the support of Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital through the collaborative agreement to help address the inequity of care for people in northern Devon due to staffing shortages."

The overall rating for North Devon District Hospital did not change from requires improvement.