Concerns raised over staffing levels and patient records at Blackpool Victoria Hospital after spot check
Hospital bosses say they've already made a number of changes and improvements since the inspection
Last updated 26th Mar 2021
Blackpool Hospital's had a spot check by health bosses during what they've described as 'the eye of the second wave of the pandemic.'
The Care Quality Commission came in January and raised concerns over staffing levels, patient record keeping and having the right staff in the right place.
The inspection team visited urgent care, emergency care, medical care including the acute medical unit, wards 10 and 12 and the stroke unit to see if services were safe, effective, responsive and well-led.
You can read the report and an accompanying press release from the regulator in full on their website here.
The report includes a number of areas of outstanding practice observed during the visit as well as actions the Trust must do. There is a summary of the improvements the Trust has made against the feedback that can be found here.
One of the improvements the Trust has made since the inspection is providing lockable trolleys, which means records can only be accessed by people authorised to do so after concerns were raised over patient record keeping.
As it wasn’t a core services inspection, the Trust’s overall rating remains ‘Requires Improvement’ for urgent and emergency care and ‘Inadequate’ for medical care services and the stroke unit. These ratings date back to the last full inspection in October 2019.
Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Kevin McGee said the organisation has an action plan which was put in place to track improvements following the CQC inspection in 2019 and good progress was being made.
He added: “The CQC visit in January was unannounced and the team were able to observe some key areas of Blackpool Victoria Hospital at an extremely busy times, right in the eye of the second wave of the pandemic.
“The services inspected were incredibly pressured, working in some of the most challenging circumstances we have ever experienced. I would like to thank all colleagues on duty who were able to support the CQC on top of everything else they were dealing with that day.
“The Trust will now action those areas of improvement identified as part of our overall CQC action plan and ambitious improvement plans for the entire organisation. I am pleased, however, that the progress we are making for patients and their families is being recognised and making a difference to people’s lives.
“There is much to do but I am confident we know what further improvements are needed and how to deliver them to best effective as quickly as we are able. We continue to work with all colleagues, regulators and the wider health and social care system to get better each and every day.”