Rotherham Hospital: CQC inspection says trust must improve

The Care Quality Commission raised concerns about safeguarding and waiting times in the emergency care department

A hospital where emergency patients had to wait more than seven hours to see a doctor has been told it must improve.

Inspectors also found A&E patients at Rotherham General Hospital were not routinely monitored, increasing the risk of their condition deteriorating.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) told the hospital in 2018 it required improvement and said that remained the case after its inspection this summer.

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said it was working "to improve patient care".

The CQC said the inspection carried out in May and June was a follow-up to an inspection in 2018 which raised concerns "around the quality of care being provided to patients".

The report said: "Although the team had made some improvements since our last visit, it was not enough to make an impact on the overall trust rating which remains as requires improvement."

'Matter of urgency'

Inspectors found "performance issues in urgent and emergency care which resulted in long waiting times for patients" with some waiting more than seven hours to see a doctor and one waiting more than 10 hours.

The report also highlighted concerns about "inadequate processes around safeguarding" in the emergency unit "that may put people at risk of avoidable harm".

The CQC said the issue had been raised in previous inspections and that the trust "must address it as a matter of urgency".

"Patients didn't always have a dignified experience when they were being moved from one place to another within the hospital," the inspectors said.

"We saw one patient being transferred without any trousers on and no alternative covering which is totally unacceptable."

'Patients at risk'

The report added that last November the trust was issued with a warning notice in medical care where there were not enough suitably skilled and competent staff to meet patients' needs.

"During this inspection we looked at the areas identified in the warning notice, and found some areas had improved," it said.

"However, there were still staff vacancies and gaps in the rota, especially during the night which could put patients at risk."

Inspectors praised some "outstanding practice", including an initiative where health and social care staff work together when discharging patients.

The trust said in response to the report it had "compiled action plans which our teams are working through in order to improve patient care and experience".