Liverpool hospitals 'must improve after medical mistakes'

Inspections were carried out at hospitals run by Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Two hospitals in Liverpool must take steps to improve safety after a series of medical mistakes known as "never events," a health watchdog has said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has called for immediate action at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Aintree University Hospital.

It follows reports of "serious patient safety incidents which are preventable when guidelines are followed".

The hospitals' trust said it is taking action under its "improvement journey".

The first inspection in September was "partly prompted" by a series of "never events" at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a report published by the CQC said.

The details of the "never events" have yet to be disclosed.

Following this inspection, the watchdog received assurances from the trust that changes were being made to improve patient safety.

But a second inspection was carried out in October after the CQC received further concerns from patients, relatives and staff.

Chief inspector of Hospitals Ted Baker said while staff were "working hard to provide care to patients in very challenging conditions," there was a "lack of effective systems to ensure all patients received adequate nutrition and hydration".

He added inspectors also found "staff didn't always follow national infection prevention and control guidelines".

Inspections were carried out at Aintree University Hospital

Following the two inspections, the CQC also found:

• Staffing shortages due to absence affected all services at the trust

• Medical services at Aintree University Hospital did not always have enough nursing staff with the right training and experience to manage patients' needs

• Frequent staffing shortages at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital meant there were occasions when staff were unable to meet the basic care needs or provide emotional support to minimise distress

• Staff completed but did not always update risk assessments for each patient to safely manage and mitigate the risks

• Staff did not always follow all the systems to identify and take action where patients were at risk of deterioration

• Medical staff did keep records of patients' care and treatment, however, they were not always up-to-date or stored securely

Steve Warburton, chief executive officer at the trust, said: "Using the report findings we will continue to learn and improve as an organisation following the merger of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals and Aintree University Hospital in October 2019.

"We are also taking the required action as part of our quality improvement journey, which is essential to fulfilling our ambition to provide great care for every patient."

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