Inspection team demands ‘immediate improvement’ at failing health trust

An NHS trust is in need of “immediate improvement” after a team of inspectors found it was failing patients by not providing effective care plans.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, and found various failures at the United Lincolnshire NHS Trust in relation to the treatment of patients.

The report into their findings showed that appropriate steps were not being taken to ensure that people received effective, safe and appropriate care to meet their needs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Care plans did not always reflect the needs of patients, and risk assessments in relation to falls, pressure sores and nutrition did not always provide enough detail or contain clear actions to minimise risk, the report said.

In addition, people were not always given the support they needed to eat and drink.

CQC said it has “demanded the trust take immediate action to ensure that patients receive the assessment and support necessary to get the care they need”.

If the issues in need of action are not addressed by May 31, CQC has said its next steps may include prosecution or closure of services.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said she was “deeply, deeply saddened”, to hear about the report on United Lincolnshire NHS Trust.

She said: “Elderly care in this country is abysmal and we fully support the CQC’s commitment to holding those responsible to account through prosecution.

“In December we published our report, “Listen to Patients, Speak up for Change” which highlighted some of the appalling cases we had heard and we called for independent matrons whose sole role would be to ensure the basics of care for every elderly patients. We are still waiting for this to happen.

“From the cases we continue to hear on our Helpline, there is a desperate need for someone to stand up for these patients who all too often have been robbed of their voice.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The patient safety charity Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) said it welcomed the announcement that the CQC has demanded improvements.

It said the trust featured prominently in research conducted by AvMA on implementation of potentially life saving “patient safety alerts” which are issued by the National Patient Safety Agency about avoiding errors that repeatedly cause serious harm or even death to NHS patients.