Infirmary ‘compliant’ but improvements needed

Marian Carroll, director of nursing at The Pennine Acute Trust, welcomed the CQC findings.

The Rochdale Infirmary has been rated as ‘compliant’ in the majority of areas in a report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC found the Infirmary to be ‘compliant’ and meet the essential standards and outcomes of quality and patient safety. However, ‘moderate concerns’ were noted in the report for records and for the management of medicines.

The report said that the Infirmary is meeting the “essential standard” in all areas but improvements need to be made to “maintain” that standard.

The report said ‘gaps’ had been identified regarding the management of medicines. It reads: “The audits and information provided by the trust identified gaps, particularly in the recording of medication being administered. Two audits took place, in April and July 2010, where 2 shortfalls were not improved on. This indicates that there is a gap in the process for the safe handling of medicines.”

Regarding records, the report added: “The evidence we have seen shows that there are gaps within patients’ records with not all interventions being correctly recorded.”

“A moderate concern means that people who use services are safe but are not always experiencing the outcomes relating to this essential standard and there is an impact on their health and wellbeing because of this,” it said in the report.

Inspectors also found that:

• patients were very happy with the level of care they received
• patients were kept up to date with information about their care and treatment 
• staff explained everything in a way that patients could understand
• patients gave very positive comments about the hospital food
• patients were supported and enabled to make decisions about their care
• patients’ privacy was respected and they were treated with respect 
• fluid and nutrition was monitored appropriately, with wide selection of food
• high standards of cleanliness
• wards were fully staffed with correct skill mix, and prompt care for patients
• staff were receiving mandatory and updated training
• systems were in place to assure the health, safety and welfare of patients 

Marian Carroll, director of nursing at The Pennine Acute Trust, welcomed the CQC findings. She said: “We have made some real improvement in our quality of care over the last year; this is shown in the CQC’s findings.

“We are pleased and encouraged that the CQC has during its review of our hospitals found that the Trust and Rochdale Infirmary meets the essential standards for quality and safety.

“This is a reflection of the hard work, skill and commitment of all our staff who strive to provide the very best care for our patients, day in day out.

“Our staff should be congratulated.

“Our aim is to provide the very best care to each patient on every occasion.

“Patient safety and improving the quality of care and the patient experience continue to be the Trust’s top priority.

“We will build on the outcomes and findings of this review and continue to improve services and the experience of our patients, their relatives and carers.”