The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated urgent and emergency and medical services at Fairfield General Hospital, ran by Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, as requires improvement.
Fairfield General Hospital, in Bury, Greater Manchester is managed by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital provides a range of acute NHS services, including urgent and emergency care, medical care, surgery and outpatients.
The inspection, carried out in January, was part of CQC’s urgent and emergency care system pressures thematic review framework. Inspectors looked at urgent and emergency care and medical care (including older people’s care) at Fairfield General Hospital only.
Following the inspection, for both services, CQC has rated caring as good again, effective from requires improvement to good, and well-led, safe and responsive as requires improvement again.
Gill Hodgson-Reilly, CQC deputy director of operations in the north-west, said:
“When we inspected medical and urgent and emergency care at Fairfield General Hospital, we found staff were kind and working hard to meet people’s needs under considerable pressure but weren’t always able to do so due to staffing shortages which leaders must address to ensure people receive safe care.
“Medical care staff told us they didn’t have enough time to provide the quality of care people deserved. We saw people needing one on one care being left alone and staff weren’t always available to support with meals. One person’s food was left cold and untouched, and we observed delays in call bell responses. Leaders must take action to support staff to address this.
“Staff worked hard to go the extra mile to ensure people felt happy during their hospital stay, they were described as kind, hardworking and going the extra mile. They enabled one person to get visits from their dog, which had a very positive impact. Families said staff understood the emotional impact of illness and provided reassurance and support to them.
“Leaders need to address the routine use of corridor care in A&E, which affected people’s wellbeing and privacy as well as staff’s ability to provide safe and discreet care.
“People being treated on corridors were assessed by staff and understood the next steps in their care and treatment but were given limited information about why they were being cared for on a corridor and how long they’d be there for which could cause anxiety and distress.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the service closely to keep people safe during this time.”
