Hospital staff warning lifted

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued a warning over staffing levels in February after its inspectors found cases of pregnant women waiting for hours in corridors, incomplete risk assessment forms and periodic closures of the delivery suite because of a lack of staff.

It told the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust that it would face ‘serious consequences’ if it did not take urgent action.

This week, the CQC said the required changes had been made when inspectors made an unannounced visit on April 10.

Welcoming the news, interim trust chief executive Stephen Eames said: “We made a promise to parents-to-be and local people that we’d address the areas that needed improving – and that’s what we’ve done.

“Our teams quickly acted with targeted action and can now better respond to high levels of demand in the service. All staff are aware of the processes that are in place to address any short staffing issues.”

During the visit, inspectors reviewed the records of nine women who had given birth since the warning notice was issued. They found the service was meeting four of the five standards expected.

The CQC said: “We found no issues or concerns in relation to the care of women on the maternity unit that could be attributed to staffing issues. However, we did find some specific instances where patient care was not being provided at the level that would be expected.”

The issues highlighted were with record keeping, communication and best practice in preventing deep vein thrombosis.

Chief nurse and director of patient experience Tracey McErlain-Burns said: “We will make the further changes necessary and are already implementing plans to improve communications with and about our patients.

“We will work with the CQC to make sure that our patients continue to receive safe, high quality maternity care.”