Reduced hospital care continues amid fire safety concerns
Safety concerns at Bodmin Hospital were first raised by Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service two years ago
A hospital in Cornwall is still operating with reduced care for stroke victims and mental health patients after work to improve fire safety was announced two months ago. Safety concerns at Bodmin Hospital were first raised by Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service two years ago, while a critical Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection report also flagged safety risks in 2022.
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s board heard in July this year that Bodmin Hospital’s stroke beds were being relocated to Liskeard Community Hospital to allow remedial work to be carried out to improve safety. The Trust also had to pause admissions to its psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) to allow it to relocate one of its acute mental health wards.
This has resulted in a reduction in the hospital’s overall mental health beds and, as a result, some patients may need to be treated outside Cornwall. The situation at the hospital remains the same two months on from the announcement of the reduction in bed numbers.
Bodmin Hospital is owned and run by a private finance initiative (PFI) GH Bodmin, a subsidiary of investment company BIIF Ltd. The Trust pays to use the site to provide NHS community and mental health services. Grosvenor Facilities Management, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the building, will carry out the improvement work.
Concerns have been raised about the time the work has taken to be completed. The CQC report from July 2022 noted: “The Trust had been experiencing significant difficulties in getting the PFI provider to complete maintenance in a timely manner. The Trust informed us that they believe PFIs were performing at a standard that was considerably below the standard expected in all areas.”
As a result, the Trust was forced to contact national NHS bodies, the Department of Health and the Cabinet Office for support.
The CQC noted in July 2022: “We found environments at a number of the locations we visited to be in poor condition and not fit for purpose. This was a safety risk for patients using these services. On the acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care unit the ward environments were not well maintained which caused staff difficulties in safely managing patients within the environments.
“On each ward there were areas of the environment that were not safe or were unfit for purpose and posed risks to the safety of the patients. All the wards we visited needed updating and maintenance work completed to make them more safe, therapeutic and comfortable for patients.”
The Trust says it is working with partners to mitigate the current situation’s potential impact on patients and their families.
Dr Adrian Flynn, Chief Medical Officer at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, : “An independent fire safety review of Bodmin Community Hospital, commissioned by the Trust and its landlord, identified concerns that mean planned maintenance work has been brought forward. This work is now under way.
“We have taken immediate action to ensure the safety of patients and staff and we are doing all we can to minimise disruption while the issues are fixed. Unfortunately, owing to the scale of the works, we have had to relocate some services.
“As a result, some patients have been moved and are receiving their care elsewhere. This is not the experience we want for our patients. We are most grateful to our staff who are working tirelessly to keep this disruption to a minimum and ensure patients, families and carers are fully informed.”
A spokesperson for the Integrated Care Board added: “The safety and continuity of service for patients and staff is our priority, and we thank everyone involved for their understanding over this time. We are working closely with Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and partners across the Integrated Care System to mitigate the loss of community beds and minimise the number of people treated out of area.”