Weston General Hospital's care status upgraded by CQC inspectors

Inspectors visited the hospital in August

Care provided by a hospital has improved, inspectors have revealed.

The status of care provided at Weston General Hospital has been moved from "inadequate" to "requires improvement", the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

The hospital, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, was rated inadequate in 2021, but inspectors returned in August.

They said staff were now taking extra measures to help patients, but raised concerns over racism towards staff and "excessive" working hours in areas.

Following the latest inspection, the core medical care, safety and effectiveness of the hospital were all upgraded from "inadequate" to "requires improvement", and the leadership of the hospital was improved from "inadequate" to "good".

'Caring and thoughtful'

Head of hospital inspection at the CQC, Catherine Campbell, said: "We were pleased to see improvements had been made, and standards of care for people as well as their experiences had improved."

She added inspectors had noted "caring and thoughtful" actions by staff when one patient was discharged, and saw another example of "person-centred care" when adjustments were made to help one patient find it easier to drink.

"We found a clear, proactive approach to engaging and communicating with staff regarding the strategy and vision of the hospital," she said.

The inspection team found staff at the hospital, part of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, worked well to identify adults and children at risk of, or suffering, significant harm and liaised with other agencies to protect them.

The report also highlighted that there was a new management team in place at Weston General, who were "visible and approachable" for staff and patients.

'Staff stretched at weekends'

However, inspectors also identified "ongoing concerns" over racist behaviour and discrimination among staff towards colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds.

"Inspectors raised these concerns with the leadership of the trust immediately and were provided reassurance this issue would be tackled as a priority," the report said.

Some staff also said they worked "excessive" hours, in particular ward managers and matrons.

"Staff said medical staffing out of hours was stretched, especially at weekends," the report said.

The overall rating for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust remains good, the CQC said.