Service downgraded by inspectors at West Country hospital
Inspectors made an unannounced visit to Bath's RUH after concerns were raised about their medical care services
Last updated 6th Jul 2024
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission have downgraded their rating of medical care service at the Royal United Hospitals in Bath.
It means they class the service as 'requires improvement', down from 'good' which was the previous rating of medical care at the hospital.
This follows an inspection in July and August, which was unannounced, after the CQC say they received 'information of concern' over the safety and the quality of care being provided with their medical care - including older people's care.
The amendment of this updated CQC rating has also affected the overall rating of Royal United Hospital Bath at location level, which moves from good to requires improvement.
Following this inspection, the overall rating for medical care at Royal United Hospital Bath, as well as how safe and well-led it is, has declined from good to requires improvement.
Effective, caring and responsive were not inspected at this visit, whilst 'responsive' remains rated as requires improvement, effective remains good and caring remains outstanding.
Following this inspection, the CQC say the overall rating for Royal United Hospital Bath, as a location, has dropped from good to requires improvement.
The overall rating for Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation Trust as a provider overall, remains rated as good.
In a statement, the Trust who runs the RUH tell us they have already started work on improvements, as required by the Care Quality Commission.
They added: "We welcome the report and we are fully committed to making the improvements identified in their report supported by a robust action plan.
“We were pleased that the report also identified many positives, inspectors praised the ‘outstanding programme’ for international nurses, our ability to manage patient safety incidents well and the way managers and ward leaders were supported to make the wards a welcoming place to work.
“Inspectors noted that our Medical Care Service ‘had enough medical staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep patients safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment’.
“The CQC also acknowledged that we have a strong vision and strategy developed in partnership with the people we care for, the people we work with and the people in our community.
“The RUH is committed to being an organisation where everyone matters and we would like to reassure patients that our staff remain fully committed to providing the very best standards of care at all times.”
You can read the full report on the CQC website.