Whipps Cross University Hospital in north-east London has been found to have a “catalogue of failings”.
During unannounced inspections in May and June, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) discovered the hospital was failing to meet 10 of the 16 national standards of quality and safety.
Inspectors visited the emergency, elderly, maternity and surgery departments and found shortcomings in cleanliness and infection control, equipment safety and availability, and supporting staff.
Three enforcement notices were issued, two of which were given to the maternity department regarding cleanliness and infection control. The CQC said that while this had not led to any maternal deaths in the past year, there had been some unexpected admissions to neonatal intensive care. These incidents occurred because midwives failed to carry out routine observations.
The other enforcement notice was given to elderly care, where it was found that the hospital did not do enough to support staff. In particular, nurses were not receiving the appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. Improvements must be shown in both the elderly and maternity departments by the end of August.
Concerns were also raised over the safety of equipment as staff did not know whether resuscitation equipment had been regularly checked. The commission also found that patients were unable to reach their food and water, and that many staff lacked compassion.
Matthew Trainer from the CQC said: “We found that, in places, the hospital was unsafe and dirty, and that staff didn’t always show patients that compassion that people deserve. Our inspectors will return unannounced in the near future to check that it has made the changes required by the warning notices.”
Have you been affected by hospital negligence?
If you have been affected by a substandard level of care, such as those found at Whipps Cross University Hospital, get in touch with a solicitor to discuss what options are available. If there has been an unacceptable standard of care and this has caused you or your loved one to suffer unnecessary injury, you could be entitled to pursue a claim against the hospital in question. Contact us at Glynns to find out more.
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