- NHS hospital
Broomfield Hospital
We served a notice under Section 31 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on Mid and South Essex Foundation NHS Trust on 18th April 2024 for failing to meet the regulation related to safe care and treatment and management and oversight of governance and quality assurance systems at Broomfield Hospital.
Report from 21 February 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Services for children & young people
Our view of the service
On the 25th of November 2024 we carried out a comprehensive assessment of Children and Young People services at Broomfield 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 told us staff did their best in a busy service to provide care. People were not always provided with information and at times the support for children and young people was not always tailored to their needs.
Staff did not always have effective support from leaders and skills to deliver safe care. Demands on the service were high, and leaders did not always take timely action to mitigate risk to children and young people using the service. The service was made safer by the good will of staff, often having no breaks and working late. There were systemic cultural issues where staff did not always feel listened to or feel safe to speak up in fear of being targeted or bullied.
As part of our assessment, we requested additional data and information. Some evidence was not provided or available. Due to information gaps we were not assured leaders had good oversight of care delivery and risk management.
Following our assessment the concerns raised 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. Records showed children and young people did not always have observations taken promptly and at regular intervals. They said staff were on hand if they needed them, but this could be delayed if areas were busy. Children, young people and their families said they would feel 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 they would have to repeat the same information multiple times.