Hospitals trust told it has to improve
THE trust managing Nottingham’s hospitals has been warned it has to improve by independent inspectors.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors carried out a review of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital, and its leadership in July.
Now a warning notice has been served requiring the trust to “take action to improve corporate and clinical governance and oversight of risk”.
The verdict is yet another blow to the trust, which also runs Ropewalk House, following the tragic deaths of babies at the trust’s maternity unit.
In the last decade there have been 201 negligence claims over maternity care, and more than £91m has been paid out in damages and costs to some of the families involved.
Independent investigators will now be looking into a number of serious incidents which happened in the maternity unit.
A CQC follow-up visit in May found that, although improvements had been made, there was still more work to do.
Regarding the fresh concerns, a spokesperson said: “We carried out an inspection of the trust’s leadership in July 2021.
“Following that inspection, the trust was issued with a warning notice requiring it to take action to improve corporate and clinical governance and oversight of risk, and to ensure a more positive, open and supportive culture across the organisation.
“We will report on the full findings from the inspection as soon as we are able to.”
Such warnings are issued when care falls below what is legally required.
However it is still unclear if the warning notice relates to “continuing failure to comply with a legal requirement”.
If it does, the CQC may take further action.
Responding to the report, Nottingham University Hospitals Trust’s deputy chief executive and chief financial officer Rupert Egginton added: “We accept the CQC’S comments.
“Work is already under way to learn from the findings and make improvements so that the organisation is led as effectively as possible and we continue to provide world-class care for our patients.”
The warning notice comes after NUH’S maternity services were rated “inadequate” last year – and NHS England and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which provides local healthcare services, also confirmed last month that a review dating back to 2016 will examine baby deaths at the trust.
Dozens of midwives are set to be recruited by the QMC and City Hospital in the next few months.