Hospital's A&E unit taken off blacklist

Bosses at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby were ordered to act by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after the regulator discovered some patients admitted by ambulance were being forced to wait in corridors before being assessed.

They were also concerned medical problems weren't always properly investigated.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was among 22 nationally who had conditions imposed upon them as part of a tougher system of legally enforceable licences for NHS trusts to operate services.

However the CQC said they were satisfied improvements had been made following an inspection in May.

Jo Dent, CQC's regional director for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "We arrived unannounced so we could see the A&E department as patients experience it.

"It was clear to our inspection team that a considerable amount of work had gone into improving the department. There are now better systems in place to ensure patients arriving by ambulance are seen quickly and by a clinician, such as a nurse.

"We're also very pleased to see the trust working closely with its Local Involvement Network (LINk) to secure funding for a new triage unit. This collaborative approach is to be commended."

CQC said there was now a nurse responsible for assessing patients upon arrival and 68 per cent of patients arriving in an ambulance were "triaged" within 15 minutes. The trust had secured funding for a new triage area, which will be opened by the end of the summer.

It is also viewed as positive that nurses are reporting more "incidents", which could mean anything from not checking someone's medical history to making a much more serious error.

A trust spokesman said: "We have been confident for some time that we have made the necessary changes."