Last updated at 11:52, Thursday, 16 August 2012

WEST Cumberland Hospital has been given a clean bill of health by inspectors – but concerns have been raised about the Cumberland Infirmary.

A team from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted unannounced visits to both hospitals. At the Whitehaven hospital, the visit last month concentrated on its surgical division.

The findings revealed that all expected standards were being met but a similar inspection at the Carlisle hospital the previous month, this time focusing on A&E, unveiled a series of concerns about equipment, hygiene and staff training.

Both hospitals, run by North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, have been the subject of recent safety concerns, prompting MPs to call for a planned takeover to be fast-tracked.

But when the four inspectors from the independent regulator visited the West Cumberland on July 9, they found that all expected standards were being met. Feedback from the 21 patients they spoke to in confidence was also positive, with particular praise for the nursing staff.

The hospital was assessed on the quality of care, safety when moving between departments, cleanliness and infection control, staffing levels, training and the quality of monitoring systems. No concerns were raised in any of these areas.

Speaking as the results were published yesterday, Chris Platton, acting director of nursing, said: “I’m really pleased to report that the findings were all positive, it was a full clean sheet. But we won’t sit back on any of it. We welcome these inspections and want to learn from them.”

No further action is required in Whitehaven, but trust bosses have been ordered to make urgent improvements at the Carlisle hospital where there were concerns about cleanliness, infection control, unsafe and unsuitable equipment, staff training and supervision.

Problems identified included shortages of equipment, infection risks and not all expected standards of cleanliness were being met. Inspectors also noted that not all staff were receiving essential training. However all of the points raised were classed as minor or moderate and none directly impacted on patient care. And the hospital was found to be meeting expected standards in other areas, including the care and treatment of patients and A&E staffing levels.

Head of nursing, Lynn Anderson, said action had already been taken to resolve many of the issues, while further work to improve training was under way.

The watchdog has given them 28 days to set out what action is being taken and will be monitoring progress.

First published at 11:07, Thursday, 16 August 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk