York hospital inspection prompted watchdog's 'significant' concerns

York Hospital, part of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was inspected by the CQC

A hospital trust did not deliver "fundamental standards of care" and did not have enough staff on wards, an inspection has found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said there were "significant" safety concerns at The York Hospital.

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was told urgent improvements were needed with a warning notice being served about the care it provided.

Hospital chiefs said the report showed the "extreme pressures" it was facing.

An unannounced inspection took place in March and examined the standard of care patients were receiving.

Inspectors found issues including staff not always assessing risks or making safeguarding referrals despite being trained.

Enforcement notice issued

A section 29A warning notice was served to the NHS trust in response to ineffective systems for managing patient risk assessments, nutrition and hydration, pressure area care and falls prevention, the CQC said.

Sarah Dronsfield, CQC's head of hospital inspection, said hospital staff were found to treat patients with "compassion" and "kindness", but did not always respect their privacy or dignity.

"The service didn't have enough nursing staff with the right skills, training and experience to keep patients safe and to provide the right care and treatment."

There was a worry people could be placed "at serious risk of harm," Ms Dronsfield added.

• Safety concerns over maternity staff shortages

• Hospitals moved to highest level of alert

• Work starts on hospital's £47m emergency centre

The trust said the safety of patients and wellbeing of staff were an "absolute priority", but added it had an "unprecedented" number of patients at the time of the inspection, leading to staff opening a new ward with 8% of its workforce off sick.

Issues 'known to us' - hospital

"We absolutely recognise the seriousness of the concerns raised by the CQC and since their visit there have been a number of actions taken, including an immediate inspection of every patient's care on medical wards, including documentation and risk assessments," chief nurse Heather McNair said.

Simon Morritt, chief executive, said many of the issues raised "were known to us", reflecting the pressures facing the trust following recruitment issues and staff absences associated with Covid-19.

"The report demonstrates that, when faced with these pressures, it is not always possible to give the standard of care we would want for all of our patients all of the time."

The service was not rated at this inspection with the overall rating for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust remaining as 'requires improvement', the CQC added.