Disappointing CQC report for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Disappointing CQC report for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

It was disappointing news for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust when the recently conducted Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection report hit their desks…..and the press.

The inspection took place in April 2018 when the CQC looked at nine different departments at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham and each department was awarded an overall rating plus five additional ratings to confirm if services were safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Overall it was clear that improvement is needed in a lot of department and across many of the treatments provided.

Today Mark Cubbon, Chief Executive of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust responded to the report confirming the management team were aware that there was still work to be undertaken and that many of the issues highlighted by the report were longstanding.  He said;

“Some of the challenges the Trust faces are longstanding issues that have been well documented over a number of years. Since joining as Chief Executive I have been clear that these will not be transformed overnight. This report illustrates the long term nature of the task and is a fair and honest reflection of where we are after one year.”

Professor Ted Baker, CQC Chief Inspector of Hospitals said; 

“As a priority the trust must focus its efforts on those areas where we have identified the need for further improvement. We will continue to monitor the service closely and return in the future to check on the trust’s progress.”

Amongst the areas that were said to require improvement was the emergency department where it was found that staff were not always providing patients with compassionate or respectful care.   Relatives complaints that they were not being kept updated regarding the care of their loved ones and overall waiting times were found to be too long.

It needs to be remembered that QA is a huge Hospital and no doubt is extremely difficult to run effectively but that has to be balanced against the fact that it is the ONLY Hospital in Portsmouth and the ONLY A&E department.  The community relies and depends on it’s good service.

Melanie Lidstone-Land and the Clinical Negligence team at Swain & Co Solicitors regularly win compensation for their clients who have experienced substandard treatment or a failure to provide treatment. If you, a family member or a friend have experienced problems regarding substandard medical treatment contact our team today on 023 92 483322.