Liverpool NHS trust ordered to improve amid safety concerns

Inspectors highlighted a range of concerns within Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

A Liverpool NHS trust has been rated as "requires improvement" by the health service watchdog due to concerns over care and safety.

The moves comes following inspections at Aintree University Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

Inspectors said Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust required improvement in safety while it was classed as inadequate for leadership.

The trust said "immediate action" had been taken to address the concerns.

Ted Baker, chief inspector of hospitals at the Care Quality Commission, said the inspections in June and July highlighted concerns that the trust's leadership team "had a lack of oversight of what was happening on the frontline".

Mr Baker said "lengthy delays" and "poor monitoring" were putting patients at serious risk of harm, and the trust was rated as requires improvement overall.

He added: "We were particularly concerned about how long people were waiting to be admitted onto medical wards and by the absence of effective processes to prioritise patients for treatment based on their conditions.

"There weren't always the right number of staff with the right skills and training to treat people effectively or keep them safe in the trust's emergency departments and on medical wards."

'Management responsible'

However, the trust was rated good for being caring and he praised the hospitals' staff for their "compassion and kindness".

Sir David Dalton, the trust's interim chief executive, said: "The report is very clear that responsibility lies with the trust's senior management and ineffective systems and processes.

"We are proud that the inspectors repeatedly noted the kindness and compassion shown by our staff when caring for patients."

He said the trust had taken "immediate action to ensure that patients are safe and cared for appropriately" and work had begun to "implement the necessary changes".

A previous inspection earlier this year highlighted a series of medical mistakes known as "never events" at the hospitals.

New measures were also imposed in the summer over patient safety concerns.

The trust's previous chief executive later stepped down,

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