Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust remains in special measures

The Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby remains rated as "requires improvement"

An NHS watchdog has raised "significant concerns" about the safety of services run by a troubled trust.

The Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust has been in and out of special measures since 2013.

A report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said there was an "insufficient" number of trained staff to protect patients from harm and provide the right care and treatment.

The trust said it was making changes in the areas highlighted by the report.

CQC inspectors visited the trust's three hospitals - Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, Scunthorpe General Hospital, and Goole and District Hospital - and community services between 24 September and 10 October.

They found:

• Waiting time targets for cancer diagnosis, following urgent GP referrals, were still not being met

• Incidents of patients "coming to harm" because of delays in receiving outpatients and diagnostic imaging appointments

• Patients with mental health conditions not consistently being cared for in a safe environment

• Some patients at the end of their lives not being treated with compassion, kindness and respect.

The trust said it had increased staffing and invested more than £1.1m in extra nurses

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals Ann Ford said: "Our inspection found improvements were needed across the trust, notably in relation to the safety of services.

"This is something that the trust must address swiftly."

The CQC said the trust "must remain in special measures".

It has been rated overall as requiring improvement despite the safety of its services being deemed inadequate.

Ms Ford said the trust had made improvements in a number of areas despite facing "challenges".

She said inspectors would "continue to monitor the trust and check on its progress".

Trust chief executive Peter Reading said the organisation had invested more than £1.1m for extra nursing staff, increased weekend and overnight staffing, reduced its waiting list and "introduced new leadership arrangements".

"Caring for those patients nearing the end of their life is a key priority," he added.