Hospitals' ratings downgraded by CQC

Two hospitals have been told to improve after being visited by a health watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital in Burton-upon-Trent from rated good to "requires improvement", after inspecting both sites in February.

It comes months after it was revealed the number of complaints about the hospitals from members of the public had risen by 40% in a year.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), which runs both hospitals, said its management "fully accept the concerns identified".

Urgent and emergency care at both sites were rated as "requires improvement", with inspectors finding that some staff at Royal Derby "stopped reporting some incidents, including being short-staffed or giving people their medicines late, because they felt nothing would change and leaders wouldn't give them any feedback".

The CQC said it had requested an action plan from UHDB "showing what steps it is taking to address these concerns".

Sarah Ivory-Donnelly, from the watchdog, said inspectors "found staff who were clearly committed to people's care", with patients also finding staff "warm and polite" despite long waits, but said "serious concerns" remained about "overcrowded" emergency departments.

"Leaders at the trust need to take urgent action to address the safety concerns we've identified, and we'll continue to monitor services closely," she said.

Gis Robinson, executive chief medical officer at UHDB, said the CQC inspection "took place during one of the busiest winter periods we have experienced", but acknowledged the findings in the reports.

"While many of the issues highlighted reflected challenges we were already working to address, we know patients should expect better and, since the inspection, we have reduced the time patients wait for an initial assessment, recruited additional staff, improved medicines management and made better use of space within our emergency departments," she said.

"We remain committed to building on these improvements, including planned building work to improve A&E facilities at Royal Derby Hospital next year, to enhance care, safety and experience for our patients and support our staff to provide the high-quality care they want to deliver."

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