South Yorkshire hospital trust requires improvement, CQC says

Doncaster Royal Infirmary was one of the hospitals inspected by the CQC

A hospital trust has been downgraded from "good" to "requires improvement" due to overcrowding concerns and reports of insufficient staffing.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust services in August and September 2023.

The trust said it had faced immense challenges in recent years, such as the pandemic and subsequent backlog.

It said work was continuing to deliver the highest quality of care.

According to figures from the trust, an average of 500,000 outpatients, 125,000 inpatients and 175,000 emergency admissions were recorded every year.

The CQC inspected Bassetlaw District General Hospital, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Montagu Hospital and Retford Hospital following concerns about the quality of care provided.

The unannounced visits took place in August and September last year, which the trust said coincided with a period of industrial action.

Bassetlaw District General Hospital and Doncaster Royal Infirmary's overall ratings have both dropped from good to requires improvement.

Montagu Hospital has also dropped from good to requires improvement, while Retford Hospital remains rated as good.

'Disappointing but not surprising'

The trust's chief executive Richard Parker said: "Whilst this change of rating is disappointing, it is not surprising.

"We are clear as to our current position and the steps we need to take to get back to, and beyond, the level we were at just a few short years ago."

Linda Hirst, the CQC's deputy director of operations in the North, said insufficient staffing levels were identified within a number of services, in particular on the Bassetlaw birthing unit.

In diagnostic and imaging, it was found not all staff knew the emergency procedures in place for patients at risk of deterioration and resuscitation trolleys were not always available in case of an emergency.

Inspectors also found that waiting areas in urgent and emergency care were "overcrowded", which led to people having to stand or wait by the entrance and doorways.

The health watchdog said the trust had since secured funding to address the issue.

Mr Parker said the trust would continue to make a case for a new hospital in Doncaster or significant refurbishment of current facilities.

The trust said since the inspections it had made "significant progress", and the most recent staff survey results had shown "positive changes".