Sunderland South Tyneside hospitals medical care require improvement

Maternity services and medical care at Sunderland Royal Hospital are rated as requiring improvement

Medical care at two Tyneside hospitals and a maternity ward need improvement, inspectors have found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Sunderland Royal and South Tyneside District Hospitals in June and August and found a number of areas health bosses must act on.

The CQC said it visited after receiving "concerns" about safety and quality.

The South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust said improvements were being made after a "tough" time.

The CQC downgraded the trust's overall rating from good to requires improvement after the summer visits, as well giving the same rating for maternity services at Sunderland.

Sarah Dronsfield, CQC deputy director of operations in the North, said there were particular concerns about patient safety and the "management of risk" in June.

During the August visit, inspectors found some improvements had been made but the trust "had not addressed all of the areas of concern which resulted in continued breaches of several regulations".

'No oversight'

Ms Dronsfield said further breaches of regulation were also identified and the trust would be monitored.

Problems included:

• Ineffective system for identifying and managing risks.

• No oversight of the quality and safety of care for people with mental health needs.

• The trust was slow to recognise and declare serious incidents which increased the risk of repeat incidents.

• Unexpected deaths were not always appropriately and consistently screened.

• In maternity, the service could not consistently provide one-to-one care for people in active labour and there were "significant" environmental risks and risks to infection prevention and control.

• Medicines were not always stored appropriately.

• People with suspected sepsis did not always receive timely assessment and treatment.

• People with learning disabilities were not consistently identified and assessed and they did not always receive care that met their needs.

A trust spokeswoman said the CQC had "highlighted the very challenging" staffing position among nurses and midwives which followed a "very difficult time" managing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and "unrelenting pressure on NHS services".

'Incredibly tough'

She also said staff were given a good rating for their caring and patients said staff treated them "well and with kindness".

Trust chief executive Ken Bremner said: "There is no doubt that the past two years has been incredibly tough but there can be no excuses.

"Our vision is for 'excellence in all that we do' and this shows we still have work to do."

Allison Thompson, who became the trust chairperson in April 2022, said she knew the rating would be "disappointing" for staff but "we absolutely learn the lessons from this CQC report as we move forward".