- NHS hospital
Basildon University Hospital
Report from 21 February 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Services for children & young people
Our view of the service
On the 26th of November 2024 we carried out a comprehensive assessment of Children and Young People services at Basildon University Hospital. This was a responsive assessment in relation to potential specific incidents and ongoing concerns over the safety of children and young people receiving care at the hospital. This was the first time the service has been assessed, and it was rated Inadequate overall. During our assessment we spoke to staff, children, young people and their families using the service. People we spoke to said staff did their best in a busy service to provide care.
People were not always provided with information and said the support for children/ young people was not always tailored to their needs. Staffing levels and skill mix were not always effective to deliver safe care. Demands on the service were high, and leaders did not always take timely action to mitigate the risk to children and young people using the service. The service was kept safe by the good will of staff, often having no breaks and working late. Staff did not always feel supported by senior trust leaders and were undervalued. There were limited opportunities for development and staff did not feel able to influence the future vision and values of the service.
As part of our assessment, we requested additional data and information. Some evidence was not provided or available. Due to information gaps in the services, we were not assured leaders had good oversight of care delivery and risk management.
Following our assessment the concerns demonstrate a breach of Regulation 12 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and Regulation 17 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We served a Section 29A Warning Notice for Regulation 17 outlining the breaches and that we required the service to make improvements.
People's experience of this service
Children, young people and their families told us staff mostly treated them with warmth and kindness whilst providing care and treatment. They said they were not always seen quickly and could experience delays in care when wards/units were busy. Children, young people and their families said they were able to raise concerns but did not always get signposted to give feedback on care. Healthwatch had been contacted by people with concerns over long waiting times and how children with additional needs were not always receiving the necessary support and care. Some people said communication between teams and system partners was not always effective and would have to repeat the same information multiple times.