Hospital delighted with 'good' inspection result

A hospital leader says she is "delighted" that emergency services and medical care at her facility were rated "good" following an inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out the review at Dorset County Hospital (DCH).

Catherine Campbell, CQC deputy director of hospitals, secondary and specialist care in the south west, said it was "encouraging" to see improvements made since the last visit, but further improvements were still needed.

Chief Nursing Officer for DCH Dawn Dawson said she was pleased inspectors recognised the improvements, which she said would continue as work continued on an Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit.

She said the rating reflected the "way in which our dedicated, professional, compassionate teams provide safe, high-quality care for our patients".

The CQC issues four different ratings when it comes to the safety and quality of services: outstanding, good, requires improvement, and inadequate.

While the Dorchester hospital was rated good in the latest inspection, the key question as to whether urgent and emergency services were safe was rated again as "requires improvement".

However, the service was no longer in breach of regulations relating to safe staffing, premises and equipment.

Under the remaining questions of effective, responsive, caring and well-led, the service was rated as "good".

Inspectors found:

• The emergency department was getting better at providing rapid interventions for people with sepsis
• Leaders ensured care was inclusive and accessible
• Staff and leaders followed risk assessments to ensure the most vulnerable patients were not cared for in corridor spaces
• There was a risk of CPR being given to patients who had not consented
• Leaders did not ensure there was always enough staff on shift in the emergency department, so staff often went without breaks
• Staff in medical care treated people as individuals and supported them "remarkably well" with specific needs
• Old and frail people were spending less time in hospital
• The trust had improved treatment for people who had suffered a stroke, scoring above the national average

Campbell said: "While some of these challenges will be addressed by the new emergency department the trust is building, it's essential leaders keep people safe until these new facilities are open."

She cited "challenges posed by the aged building" and a department "operating way beyond its intended capacity".

This resulted in people waiting longer, and the routine use of corridor spaces, she said.

DCH Chief Medical Officer Rachel Wharton said: "Our teams work incredibly hard in challenging circumstances to manage rising demand and provide the very best care they can to our patients and their families.

"It's heartening to see that this has been recognised by inspectors."