Salford Royal and three other hospitals in Greater Manchester have been told to improve their services, after a recent inspection revealed ‘cluttered and overcrowded’ A&E Departments and nurses feeling ‘disrespected’
The Care Quality Commission Trust (CQC) carried out the unannounced inspections at Salford Royal, Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary between August 8 and September 26 2022.
They found that emergency services at all four hospitals required improvement in safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership. Caring was rated as good.
The report found that Salford Royal’s Emergency department staff were not adhering to infection control and cleanliness procedures, with staff not performing adequate hand washing. Bins were also seen with “overflowing used linen.”
It also mentioned how the department was understaffed and equipment stores with intravenous fluids, including potassium, were left unlocked.
The report also said, throughout the trust, leaders understood the area’s priorities and had ‘the skills, abilities and experience to run the service’. However some staff felt that leaders were ‘not always visible and approachable’.
Furthermore, staff also reported not feeling ‘respected, supported and valued’ and felt they could not talk to their leaders. Despite this, the report also included how staff and leaders alike were committed to improving care systems.
In response to the report, Dr Owen Williams, NCA Chief Executive, said: “The care and safety of patients and the wellbeing of our colleagues remain central to what we are about and we are determined to work together to get better results for the people we serve.
“We fully accept the CQC’s judgement and their recommended areas for improvement and as the CQC have acknowledged, some improvements are already being made but they do not go far enough at this moment in time.”
Salford Royal Hospital specifically was encouraged to ensure staff had appropriate training, supervision and appraisals, particularly in areas such as Life Support.
The Hospital was also encouraged to ‘monitor staff compliance for sepsis training’ and create a mandatory training system for staff dealing with patients with dementia, autism or a learning difficulty.
The inspection was carried out by talking to “consultants, doctors, therapists, nurses, healthcare support workers, pharmacists, patient experience staff, domestic staff, administrators and the trust’s board”, as well as patients and relatives for their views on the service.
Dr Williams thanked colleagues working across the organisation for their ongoing care and commitment during a time of unprecedented demand and added: “I am pleased that the inspectors recognised what I have found out to be true in my first year as CEO, which is that many colleagues are totally caring and are working incredibly hard under a level of pressure the likes of which many of us have not experienced before.
“There is a lot of work to do but our patients can be assured that their safe care and treatment is of utmost importance to us and, on behalf of all my colleagues at the NCA, I would like to thank them for their understanding and support as we work very hard to turn this around.”
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