UHNM: Warning notice for hospital trust after inspection

The Care Quality Commission said it had concerns about staffing in the NHS trust's emergency department

An NHS hospital trust has been warned of concerns over staffing in its A&E department after an inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it also had issues with the risk management of mental health patients at the University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust.

An official warning notice has been served to the trust by the CQC.

More than 30 new A&E doctors will be recruited to improve staffing, the trust's chief executive said.

UHNM runs the The Royal Stoke University Hospital and the County Hospital in Stafford.

The CQC's latest inspections took place in August and October and overall it rated the trust as "requires improvement".

In its report, the trust had been praised for improving its rating for caring to "outstanding", with staff praised for treating patients with passion and kindness.

However the hospitals did not always have enough staff for their work and there were "significant handover delays" in the emergency department, it added.

The CQC said it also wanted to see further improvements to make sure patients with mental health needs had their risks assessed and managed across the trust.

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UHNM's leadership team were praised for managing "considerable challenges" during the Covid-19 pandemic and rated as "good".

Tracy Bullock, the trust's chief executive said her staff had made "significant improvements" since the last inspection but "we recognise there is still much to do".

She added: "We are committed to providing the best possible care for our patients and have approved and begun a programme to recruit more than 30 new doctors to work in our emergency departments."