Archived: Central Middlesex Hospital

Updated 20 August 2014

We carried out this comprehensive inspection because North West London Hospitals NHS Trust had been identified as potentially high risk on the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Intelligent Monitoring system. We undertook an announced inspection between 20 and 23 May 2014. 

North West London Hospitals NHS Trust is located in the London Boroughs of Brent and Harrow, and cares for more than half a million people living across the two boroughs, as well as patients from all over the country and internationally. The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust manages three main sites registered with the Care Quality Commission: Northwick Park Hospital and St Mark’s Hospital in Harrow, and Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal. St Mark’s Hospital as an internationally-renowned centre for specialist care for bowel diseases. The trust has a sustainable clinical strategy with Ealing Hospital to improve patient pathways, underpinned by combined ICT and estate strategies, and a vision to establish Northwick Park Hospital as the major acute hospital of choice for outer North West London.

The services provided at Central Middlesex Hospital were rated as good, apart from critical care and services provided for children and young people. This was due to the lack of paediatric nurses and equipment available in the outpatients clinics. The new building provided good facilities and enhanced the way staff felt about providing good care. However, there was a general concern among staff about the future of the hospital.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Staff were caring and provided individualised care to patients.
• The hospital was clean, and patients were complimentary about the food provided.
• Staffing levels were sufficient in most areas for care to be given in a timely manner.
• Outpatient facilities for children were not utilised, and paediatric nurses were not available in the outpatients department.
• A&E services were a mixture of acute A&E services and a minor injuries unit. This could lead to confusion for the local population as to the services provided on site at any particular time.
• Staff felt disconnected with the main trust site.

We saw an area of outstanding practice including:

• The STARRS service had strong ownership by geriatricians and the multi-disciplinary team. The team was aware of the needs of frail elderly patients who attend A&E. It was introduced by the trust and its partners to mitigate one of the pressures on the A&E service and the hospital's beds.

There were areas of poor practice, where the trust needs to make improvements.

The trust should:

• Review the lack of a paediatric nurse in the children’s outpatient department.
• Ensure that critical care services are audited in line with others, so that benchmarking can take place to drive improvement.
• Review the end of life care provision at this hospital, so that patients receive intervention at an appropriate stage.
• Ensure that departments where children are treated are child-friendly.
• Review epilepsy services for children to ensure that current guidance is in place.

Professor Sir Mike Richards

Chief Inspector of Hospitals

Updated 20 August 2014

Central Middlesex Hospital provided safe care to its patients. There were enough medical and nursing staff to ensure that patients received appropriate care and treatment. Staff in medical services were caring and compassionate, and responded to patients’ needs effectively. Patients, and those close to them, were complimentary about the way that staff cared for them, and they felt respected by staff. There were enough medical and nursing staff to ensure that patients received appropriate care and treatment, and staff told us that they worked in supportive teams.

Patients were able to access medical services in a way that was convenient for them. Staff had received appropriate training to meet the needs of the community, including training in equality and diversity, and dementia. The medical service had clear line management arrangements.

Updated 20 August 2014

The day surgery unit and the Rainbow Children’s Centre at this site was very differently managed from Northwick Park Hospital. The day surgery unit offered good information for families and children before procedures, had good processes and protocols, and families were pleased with the service.

By contrast, the outpatient clinics run by the Rainbow Children's Centre gave us cause for concern, because there was no registered children’s nurse, and there were some poor practices around medicines management. The clinics were not child-friendly and lacked play facilities.

Updated 20 August 2014

The critical care services at Central Middlesex Hospital require improvement. There were appropriate numbers of suitably-trained staff, who worked according to procedures to keep people safe. Staff collected ongoing data on the safety and performance of the department, which indicated positive patient outcomes.

Staff were caring towards patients, and were able to respond to fluctuations in demand.

However, governance arrangements could be improved, as could the strategy and vision for the department as a whole. While morale within the team was positive, it was not clear how the unit linked with the trust-wide department as a whole.

Updated 20 August 2014

We found that the end of life care to patients was good overall. The hospital had good links with the specialist palliative care team (SPCT) and community services to support patients and their families. The SPCT and other services involved in end of life care were passionate, caring and maintained patients’ dignity throughout their care. There was clear multidisciplinary involvement in patient care. Patients were involved in advance care planning and their preferences were observed and followed through, when possible and appropriate. People’s cultural and religious needs were taken into account.

End of life care training was not mandatory within the trust, and this meant that healthcare professionals at the hospital found it difficult to attend the courses provided by the SPCT.

Updated 20 August 2014

Patients received compassionate care and staff treated them with dignity and respect. The environment was clean, comfortable, well maintained and safe. Staff were professional and polite, and promoted a caring ethos.

Clinicians took sufficient time in consultations, and patients said that they felt involved in their care.

Clinics started on time and generally ran to schedule. The rheumatology clinics were regularly oversubscribed and had long waiting times, but action was being taken to recruit an additional consultant.

Updated 20 August 2014

Surgical services provided safe and effective care in the areas we visited. There were appropriate numbers of nursing and medical staff, and staff followed guidance when providing care and treatment.

Staff were caring and supportive of patients, and made efforts to keep them involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

Arrangements were in place to accommodate the different religious and cultural needs of patients. There was usually a suitable flow of patients through the department. However, there were isolated issues relating to inadequate pre-assessments prior to patients being admitted to the department.

There were suitable arrangements in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

Updated 20 August 2014

The A&E department provided care and treatment that was safe. Completed incident reports had a clear ‘lessons learned’ approach. Equipment was clean and maintained to the manufacturer’s recommendations, with service labels highlighting when the next service was due. Medication was recorded and stored appropriately, with daily checks carried out by qualified staff.

Staff had received mandatory training, including safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. Mental capacity assessments were undertaken appropriately and staff demonstrated knowledge around the trust’s policy and procedures.

Staff took the time to listen to patients and explain to them what was wrong, and any treatment that was required. Patients told us that they had all their questions answered, and felt involved in making decisions about their care. Staff expressed pride to be working in the A&E department.