Urgent and emergency care at Bradford Royal Infirmary downgraded by the CQC
Assessment from Care Quality Commission highlights areas for improvement
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded urgent and emergency services at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from good to requires improvement.
The recent inspection at Bradford Royal Infirmary, conducted as part of preparations for the trust’s well-led inspection, has led to this change in rating.
Although areas such as responsive, well-led, and caring were marked as good, effectiveness and safety were found to require improvement.
Chris Storton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north-east, said that while staff were praised for their kindness and efforts to meet patients' needs under pressure, leadership improvements were necessary.
Some patients reported delays in receiving pain relief and personal hygiene support, with one person experiencing a lengthy wait after pressing a buzzer for assistance.
Others reportedly waited over 24 hours in A&E, with some discharged after treatment due to unavailable beds for monitoring, which placed them at risk.
Storton acknowledged that corridor care was avoided, and the recruitment of additional staff post-inspection was agreed upon by leaders to address delays.
Feedback from inspectors indicated several areas requiring attention.
Inspectors found that the department had established processes for incident reporting and learning, but staff faced challenges in reporting due to workload pressures.
They noted that staff struggled with taking breaks, impacting their wellbeing and ability to provide the desired level of care.
Services for individuals with mental health needs were also highlighted, with people often seen in general waiting areas instead of designated mental health rooms.
Concerns were raised about safety protocols, with unlocked cupboards containing potentially harmful consumables or chemicals.
Paediatric resuscitation rooms were found to pose risks, with outdated medicines and improperly tested equipment present.
Security staff training for handling violent or aggressive individuals was deemed inadequate.
The CQC plans to closely monitor the service to ensure safety and expects rapid improvements from the leaders.
Meanwhile we asked Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust for a comment and they said: “Since the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out its inspection, we have implemented an action plan addressing the areas requiring improvement as well as investing in additional staffing capacity within our accident and emergency (A&E) department.
"We are confident that should an inspection take place now we have made the necessary improvements to address the issues identified by the inspectors.
“Performance at our A&E department continues to be better than the national average.
"However, listening to feedback from our local communities and our own colleagues, we recognise that people’s experience of care does not always meet the expectations they would rightly expect.
"One of the reasons for this is the level of demand and the age of our buildings that require significant additional investment that we continue to lobby for, working closely with our partners.
“Our A&E department was designed to see 200 people a day, it now sees up to nearly three times that number, leading to patients having to be cared for in spaces that are not purpose built or being uncomfortable while waiting to be seen.
"This creates additional pressure in our clinical and waiting areas and impacts on our ability to deliver the best possible experience for our patients.”