England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals has told Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust that although some progress has been made, further improvements are still required in the quality and safety of its services.
A team of inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited North Devon District Hospital in July 2018 to conduct an unannounced, follow-up inspection. This follow-up inspection focused solely on the improvements that were required by the warning notice issued after the previous inspection in October 2017. Inspectors examined the quality of four core services: urgent and emergency care, maternity services, end of life care and outpatient services.
As this was a focused inspection and ratings were not examined, there has been no change to the trust’s overall rating which remains Requires Improvement.
The Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Ted Baker said:
“When we last inspected services at this trust we raised a number of significant concerns about the quality of care in the four core services we examined. After this inspection, whilst it is fair to say that some progress had been made, it is clear that further work needs to be completed to ensure that the required systems and processes are fully embedded to continue these improvements.
“At present, the requirements of the warning notice have not been fully met and we have issued the trust with two requirement notices which make it clear to the trust the actions it must take to improve services.
“The trust has been told to provide an action plan to us setting out how it will address the areas of concern highlighted and we will continue to monitor the services involved and take further action to protect the interests of patients if it is required”
Some of the areas where the trust must take action include ensuring cleanliness of the emergency department and addressing mandatory staff training compliance in the maternity unit and across the trust for safeguarding and resuscitation. They must also ensure the chemotherapy and day treatment unit has the right mix of skilled, competent staff, able to deliver a safe and effective service and conduct audits to measure the effectiveness of the maternity service.
At present, the requirements of the warning notice have not been fully met
Professor Ted Baker, Chief Inspector of Hospitals