Shropshire Star

Inspectors call for 'urgent action' over concerns about Shropshire A&Es

Serious concerns have been raised over the county's A&E departments following an inspection last month.

Published
The hospitals were inspected in November

The Care Quality Commission has said urgent action is needed to protect patients at the emergency departments at both Princess Royal Hospital Telford, and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital – both managed by Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).

No details have been revealed about the failings, or the action required, but it is the latest in a series of concerns relating to the hospitals.

Professor Ted Baker, chief inspector of hospitals, said: "Inspectors highlighted serious concerns at the emergency departments and medical wards at the Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital during the current inspection. As a result, CQC has taken further urgent action at the departments to protect the safety of patients.

“We are monitoring the trust extremely closely and continue to work with NHS England and NHS Improvement with regard to the trust.

"Our monitoring of the trust will include further inspections and we will not hesitate to take further action if needed.”

SaTH is currently rated inadequate overall by the CQC.

Paula Clark, interim chief executive of SaTH said: "In our emergency departments, we acted immediately on CQC findings by improving our processes, increasing specialist training for staff and we have already appointed a sepsis nurse.

“But we recognise there is more to do and we are building a programme of improvement to address the areas of concern and ensure our patients receive the best possible care.”