Children were seen to be placed “at risk of harm” and patients waiting more than three hours to be assessed during a health inspection at Boston Pilgrim Hospital’s emergency department, it has been revealed.
An unannounced Care Quality Commission inspection of Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital found “unsafe” and “unreliable” systems in place in its emergency department, as well as failures to prioritise patients.
Issues spotted by CQC inspectors on November 30 include a child with potential sepsis who was not prioritised immediately.
A report by Amanda Stanford, deputy chief Inspector of Hospitals in the Central Region, says the ward was “under adverse pressure” when it carried out the inspection.
Comments from Ms Stanford’s report include: “Despite the department being under extreme pressure at the time of our inspection we saw no action taken to assess medical staffing levels were sufficient to meet the increasing capacity, demand or patientacuity issues. We heard how some doctors had not had a break for the entire 12-hour shift.
“ We saw patients such as a patient with a diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) categorised as a category three when they should have been categorised as category one (immediate priority). We also saw a child with potential sepsis was also categorised as a category three when they should have been categorised as category one (immediate priority).”
Several key issues also included:
Patients waiting more than three hours to be assessed
Patients remaining in ambulances for 20-65 minutes, with no system in place to prioritise them
Critical observations being overdue by “significant time periods”
Staff not commencing treatment in a timely way
An unstructured approach to patient flow
An ineffective Rapid Assessment and Treatment process
Patients receiving care in corridors
An insufficient staffing level and skill mix to meet the needs of patients
Children placed at risk of harm because they were not cared for by nursing staff with the necessary competencies to provide safe and effective care.
Ineffective leadership within the department
A culture of blaming overcrowding and low staffing levels / recruitment and use of agency staff for poor compliance with safety measures and poor practice
The trust’s newly created Integrated Assessment Centre had an empty bed for three hours and insufficient clinical staff
In a statement, ULHT Director of Nursing Michelle Rhodes, has acknowledged that the report “will be upsetting for our patients, public and staff to read”.
She added: “We would like to apologise to any patients who have not received the high quality care we would expect.
“This report by the CQC makes very difficult reading for all of us and we fully accept their findings. This is a position none of us want to be in.
“We have been concerned for some time about the challenges faced at Pilgrim A&E, and had escalated it earlier this year.
“Providing safe, compassionate, patient-centred care is always our priority, but we know that A&Es across the country are struggling with large numbers of patients and shortages of staff, and these things acutely affect Pilgrim hospital.”
She said a number of the issues were already addressed and highlighted a further £800,000 investment in staffing and support.
She said individual cases mentioned in the report had been fully investigated.
“As a result of the work we have been doing over the last few weeks, we are confident that the service is more resilient, and with the continuing support from our partners we will build on this progress to help secure it further over the winter period,” she said.
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Cllr Bob Bushell, Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place at City of Lincoln Council said: “In Lincoln, we are very fortunate to have some incredible parks and green spaces, with Hartsholme Country Park being a much-loved spot for families and visitors.
“The park has been especially popular over the last two years during the Covid-19 pandemic, being a haven for residents to enjoy outdoor spaces close to their homes.
“I would urge anyone to help us crown this fabulous park as one of the UK’s favourites.”
Once voting has closed on 18 August, the one park with the highest number of votes in each of England, Scotland, Wales and Nothern Ireland will be shortlisted.
The overall winner of UK’s Favourite Parks 2022 will be revealed in late-August.
Works to make the A52 Somerby Hill roundabout larger, as part of the Grantham Southern Relief Road project, are now finished.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “People in and around Grantham will be very happy to know that the A52 Somerby Hill roundabout is now fully back open without any traffic management.
“Over the past eleven months, the team has worked tirelessly to make the roundabout larger as part of the relief road project. Not only did this include fully rebuilding sections of the roundabout, but the team also installed new drainage, street lighting and kerbs here.
“Moving forward, the team will be installing four sets of bridge piers and preparing a planning amendment for the new River Witham/East Coast Main Line bridge. We’ll also be focusing on completing the section of new road to the east, between the new mid-route development and Somerby Hill roundabouts.
“I want to thank everyone for bearing with us while we upgraded the roundabout and for your patience moving forward as continue building your new Grantham Southern Relief Road.”
The Grantham Southern Relief Road project is being led by Lincolnshire County Council and supported by South Kesteven District Council, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Highways England, Department for Transport, Network Rail, Homes England and local businesses.