CQC Have Found Changes Are Needed In Four Out Of Five Areas

The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust has been told to make improvements in four key areas following an inspection.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission reported that while services had notably improved in the past two years, chief executive Peter Herring said that there was still a “long way to go”.

The trust, which runs Telford’s Princess Royal and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, was found to have regularly breached the government’s waiting target of seeing 95% of patients within four hours. “Enormous pressure” on the availability of beds was said to be the main reason for delays.

Staffing issues were also found to be putting “considerable pressure” on nurses, particularly those in A&E critical care, end-of-life services and labour wards. Mortuary arrangements were a particular cause for concern after inspectors found the fridge storage area at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to be inadequately maintained.

The health watchdog found that despite the pressures faced by staff and resources, the staff across both of the trust’s main hospitals were caring, with good services in this respect.

Mr Herring conceded that inspectors had visited during a busy period in October of last year, when a high demand on services was further complicated by industrial action taking place at the time, but still felt the report made for “uncomfortable reading”.

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Expert Opinion

While it is positive that the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust has made significant improvements in the last two years, it is concerning that four key areas still require improvement, according to the latest CQC report. It is vital the improvement of these areas is made a top priority, as a failure to address the issues could put patient health and safety at risk. <br/> <br/>“All too often we see patients suffer as a result of failings in the standard of care and treatment they receive. We hope that the staffing issues, end-of-life services, labour wards and mortuary arrangements at the Trust are improved quickly and patients are reassured that they will receive the highest possible standard of care at the hospitals managed by the Trust.” <br/> Julie Lewis - Partner