If you’ve been following this Blog, you will remember that
back in May I highlighted my concerns about Bart’s Health NHS Trust. A mega
merger trust which uses the historic name of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, much
loved and respected since medieval times but now reduced and diminished and
merged into a group of hospitals.
Between them all they are far and away the leading lights in
my ‘Bottom 21’ of hospitals with the worst record for ‘never events’; the
things that should never happen because simple things like ‘tick lists’ would
prevent them; like cutting of the wrong limb, operating on the wrong person or
leaving instruments inside people.
Here’s another one hitting the headlines for all the wrong
reasons.
By the way, how do you have a course in ‘care and compassion’
– can you teach that? I think if you don’t have it or you lost it, you shouldn’t
be looking after people. Sorry.
The London Standard
Sophie Goodchild
06 September 2013
A London
hospital was warned today that it must improve care, after maternity staff were
reported to have used “disrespectful” language about women they were looking
after.
The Royal
London in Whitechapel was criticised by NHS watchdog the Care Quality Commission
after a visit by its inspectors. They also found that elderly patients did not
always receive appropriate care and treatment.
Their
report highlights how staff shortages at the hospital — part of Barts Health
NHS trust—have left doctors and nurses struggling to maintain basic care standards.
This comes weeks after a damning CQC report into care at Whipps Cross University
Hospital, which is also part of Barts Health.
The trust
is one of half a dozen considered high-risk by Sir Mike Richards, the CQC’s
chief inspector of hospitals. It is already being forced to axe services and
suspend expansion plans while it tackles a £50 million financial crisis.
Inspectors
who visited the Royal London on June 4 and 5 said they overhead maternity staff
making comments about patients such as: “I hope bed six isn’t still here,” and:
“Bed nine was terrible last night.” There was a lack of experienced staff to
meet the needs of mothers and babies, with some women never seeing the same
midwife twice.
Midwives
told inspectors they felt senior managers were not listening to their concerns,
especially in relation to staff shortages. One employee told inspectors: “I
don’t have confidence in managers to treat staff properly.”
Staff on
the post-natal ward complained “the management are never present” and do not
“treat us well”.
Care plans
for patients with pressure sores were not always fit for purpose.
Queues for
staff rooms in the ante-natal clinic meant private conversations could be overheard.
The CQC
found the Royal London was failing five national standards: on care and welfare
of people who use services; co-operating with other providers; staffing; supporting
workers; and respecting and involving people who use services.
Today the
CQC warned that some “pretty basic” care requirements were not being fulfilled
as they should. Barts — Britain’s biggest health trust — said it was “extremely
sorry” for failings identified at the Royal London.
The trust
said it had put measures in place since the inspection, including a training
programme in care and compassion for all 500 staff involved in caring for the
elderly. Maternity staff had also been reminded of “the very high standards of
care we expect”.
Last month,
after an inspection in May and June, Whipps Cross in Leytonstone was criticised
for its “dirty and unsafe” maternity ward and treating women among “overfilled
bins and stained floors”, with women having to wait up to four hours to be
seen. Barts Health said it had “taken immediate action to rectify the failures”.
Neil Harris
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