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CQC report: action on patient safety is vital

By 24 August 2017No Comments

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a ‘Warning Notice’ to Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust requiring it to improve safety, patient consent, dignity, and respect.
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, today expressed his concern for patient safety after the CQC told Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust that it must make “significant improvements to protect patients using medical care services at Queen Alexandra Hospital”.
The CQC has placed six conditions on the trust requiring specific action until it can demonstrate that patients are safe. Following two separate inspections, the commission found there to be serious problems with the provision of emergency medical care and the treatment of elderly patients or those suffering from dementia.
The hospital’s medical care has been rated as ‘inadequate’; urgent and emergency care has been rated as ‘requires improvement’. Safety is rated ‘inadequate’ in both departments.
Commenting on the report, Stephen Morgan MP said:
The CQC’s findings are a real worry. Patient safety must always be an absolute priority for our health services in Portsmouth and the fact that the commission has found it to be inadequate at QA is of huge concern to me, and, I’m sure, all at the trust. People in our great city expect and deserve access to safe, high quality healthcare and we must ensure that this is delivered.
I have already been in contact with the team at Queen Alexandra Hospital. I understand that the hospital has developed a constructive relationship with the CQC and have listened carefully to the concerns outlined in the report. There is an appropriate focus on getting the basics right so that patient safety is given paramount importance.
It is also clear that staff have been operating under huge pressures, and I thank them for  all they do, day in, day out, to provide health and care services in Portsmouth.
I will be meeting with the new leadership team and keeping a close eye on the trust’s implementation of its action plan. It’s imperative they address all concerns and improve services at QA for all”.