Queens Hospital

Our overall rating of safe at Queen's Hospital has moved from good to requires improvement.

There were not always enough suitably skilled nursing and support staff to meet patients’ needs and
keep people safe. Patient pathways and discharge arrangements were not always effective, resulting in
delays to care and progression through services. Staff did not always store substances hazardous to
health (COSHH) safely, and medicines and treatments were not always managed in a way that ensured
people received safe and appropriate care.

However, safety was generally prioritised across the services. Leaders promoted a culture of openness,
collaboration, learning and improvement, and staff responded to safety concerns by seeking
opportunities to learn and reduce future risks. Patients were safeguarded from abuse, neglect and
discrimination, and their rights and liberty were respected in line with relevant legislation. Staff
followed infection prevention and control procedures, and the environment was generally suitable for
delivering care, although capacity and space were not always sufficient to meet patient demand. While
there were examples of good safety practice, ongoing concerns relating to staffing, operational
processes, medicines management and risk management meant the services continued to require
improvement.