Hospital covid transmissions: CQC inspect an Essex trust
The focused inspection looked at infection prevention and control practices
After more than one outbreak of hospital transmitted COVID-19 infections at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, an inspection has been carried out.
It was a focused inspection of acute services looking at infection prevention and control (IPC) practices.
An outbreak is where there are two or more test confirmed, or clinically suspected cases, in a specific setting.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors visited Basildon University Hospital on 17 February where they observed IPC measures and spoke with staff.
They visited six acute wards and the emergency department, as well as observing public areas and staff rooms to check social distancing practices were being followed.
A report published today (8 April) states that inspectors found:
"Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities in relation to infection prevention and control.
"Governance structures and the communication within them ensured that changes and learning supported patient safety across the trust.
"There were effective processes to support standards of infection prevention and control including managing cleanliness and a suitable environment."
They also found that the trust’s infection prevention and control leadership team had the "skills, abilities, and commitment to provide guidance and manage the priorities and issues the service faced in terms IPC".
But, the trust should make sure the following improvements are made:
• The trust should continue to work on the review of the trust infection prevention and control policies and associated audit programmes to unify these across the three locations.
• The trust should monitor the use of the COVID-19 regime form to ensure the form is consistently completed across the wards.
CQC’s head of hospital inspection, Philippa Styles, said:
"When inspectors visited Basildon University Hospital, they were impressed by the effective processes in place to support standards of infection prevention and control in order to keep patients safe.
"The trust held daily outbreak meetings with system partners and movement of staff around the hospital was kept to a minimum.
"Teams worked in one clinical area where possible to reduce infection risk.
"There were visible hand hygiene and face mask stations on all ward entrances and each area was clean and tidy.
"All wards and department areas were cleaned continuously during the inspection, and ongoing hygiene was monitored by housekeepers and the infection prevention and control team.
"The designation of areas as COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 was also clearly displayed throughout the hospital."
The targeted inspection did not result in a rating change, so the trusts’s overall rating of Requires Improvement remains.
The report can be read in full here.