Harlow hospital's A&E 'makes improvements' after tough winter

The CQC said mental health patients received "appropriate" treatment at the A&E department

Care at an emergency department in Essex has improved, inspectors said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the A&E department at Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) in Harlow as "requires improvement", up from "inadequate", and said it was ensuring people with mental health conditions received appropriate treatment.

The hospital praised the "hard work and dedication" of staff.

The A&E had one of the worst waiting times records in England this winter.

Hazel Roberts, the CQC deputy director for the east of England, said: "[The hospital] made some of the improvements that were needed and ensured they were embedded but there is still further work to be done in order to keep people safe."

Inspectors previously visited the A&E in 2021 and imposed special legal controls, ordering it to improve how it treated disease, disorders and injuries.

The CQC said it intervened during that visit because two patients - one of them unresponsive and one with a bleeding head injury - were waiting in the corridor.

In June 2022 a nurse was filmed telling the waiting area there were waits of up to 13 hours.

The CQC revisited on 29 March this year and revealed - in the report published on Friday - that it had removed the legal conditions.

The regulator said:

• Patients with mental health conditions received appropriate care and treatment

• The service implemented a nationally recognised triage tool

• The department made sure staff were competent

• The service was inclusive and considered individual needs and preferences

However, inspectors said staff did not always complete risk assessments in a timely manner, did not always update care records and waiting times were "consistently worse than the national average".

In March, 48% of patients waited longer than the four-hour target - compared with the England average of 29%.

The inspection did not change the overall rating for PAH, which remained at requires improvement.

PAH chief executive Lance McCarthy said he was "proud" of colleagues and said the trust would continue to "implement further work towards a modern, integrated and outstanding service for our patients."