Royal Berkshire Hospital Scheduled Report
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Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust Royal Berkshire Hospital Quality Report Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust Craven Road Reading RG1 5AN Tel: 0118 322 5111 Date of inspection visit: 24-26 March 2014 Website: www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk Date of publication: 24/06/2014 This report describes our judgement of the quality of care at this hospital. It is based on a combination of what we found when we inspected, information from our 'Intelligent Monitoring' system, and information given to us from patients, the public and other organisations. Ratings Overall rating for this hospital Requires improvement ––– Accident and emergency Good ––– Medical care Requires improvement ––– Surgery Requires improvement ––– Intensive/critical care Requires improvement ––– Maternity and family planning Requires improvement ––– Services for children & young people Good ––– End of life care Good ––– Outpatients Requires improvement ––– 1 Royal Berkshire Hospital Quality Report 24/06/2014 Summary of findings Contents Summary of this inspection Page Overall summary 3 The five questions we ask about hospitals and what we found 5 What we found about each of the main services in the hospital 8 What people who use the hospital say 13 Areas for improvement 13 Good practice 14 Detailed findings from this inspection Our inspection team 15 Background to Royal Berkshire Hospital 15 How we carried out this inspection 16 Findings by main service 18 Action we have told the provider to take 118 2 Royal Berkshire Hospital Quality Report 24/06/2014 Summary of findings Overall summary Letter from the Chief Inspector of Hospitals • Infection control rates in the hospital were similar to Royal Berkshire Hospital is the main acute hospital for the those of other trusts except the C.Difficile rates, which Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, which provides were higher than average and the trust was taking acute medical and surgical services to a population of steps to make improvements. 600,000 people across Reading, Wokingham and West • Staffing levels were not always sufficient to meet the Berkshire, and specialist services to a wider population needs of patients on all ward areas, with a consequent across Berkshire and the surrounding borders. The Royal reliance on bank and agency staff. Berkshire Hospital is the only site that provides inpatient • Medical records and the electronic patient record provision overnight. The trust also has five other sites system and processes were not robust, which resulted including West Berkshire Community Hospital, Windsor in patient records not being available, reliance on Dialysis Unit, Prince Charles Eye Unit, Royal Berkshire temporary records and inability to access records as Bracknall Clinic and Townlands Hospital Outpatients. required in a timely manner, which impacted on the ability to deliver care. During the inspection, in addition to the Royal Berkshire • Critical care capacity was insufficient and operations Hospital site, we visited West Berkshire Community were going ahead when there had been a potential Hospital (Day Surgery Unit and Outpatient services), need for critical care post-surgery identified and no Windsor Dialysis Satellite Unit and Prince Charles Eye critical care bed was available. Unit. • The observation ward in A&E was a room with three We carried out this comprehensive inspection because beds but it was not included in the four-hour decision the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was to discharge, admit or treat A&E target as it was used initially placed in a high risk band 1 in CQC’s Intelligent as a ward, although it did not have any shower Monitoring system. However, when the latest Intelligent facilities. There were concerns about appropriate use Monitoring bandings were updated the trust was placed and care of patients in this observation area. in a low risk band 5. The inspection took place between • The major incident process associated with 24 and 26 March 2014 and an unannounced inspection decontamination was not appropriate because of the visit took place on 29 March and 2 April 2014. distance and journey for patients through the hospital. • Safeguarding processes and knowledge of the Mental Overall, this hospital requires improvement. We rated it Capacity Act was not sufficient. ‘good’ for being caring and effective, but it requires • DNACPR forms were not consistently completed. improvement in providing safe care, being responsive to • The end of life care team worked collaboratively with patients’ needs and being well-led. key stakeholders. We rated A&E, end of life care and services for children • Paediatric care was generally positive. and young people as good, but we rated outpatients, We saw several areas of outstanding practice including: medical, surgical, maternity and critical care as requiring improvement. Our key findings were as follows: • Caring interventions and support for families in the Intensive Care Unit. • Staff were caring and compassionate and treated • The Children’s A&E department. patients with dignity and respect. • Consultant geriatricians worked in the A&E • The hospital was clean and well maintained, although department 8am to 8pm seven days a week. there were some examples where cleanliness fell • The responsiveness of the Palliative Care team. below expected standards. • The workforce were committed and we noted an open However, there were also areas of poor practice where culture during the inspection. the trust needs to make improvements. Importantly, the trust must: 3 Royal Berkshire Hospital Quality Report 24/06/2014 Summary of findings • Ensure that medical records are kept securely, and • Take action to improve the ventilation system on the records can be located and accessed promptly when delivery suite, to protect patients and others who may needed to appropriately inform the care and be at risk from the use of unsafe equipment. treatment of patients. In addition the trust should: • Maintain the privacy and dignity of patients placed in the observation bay in the A&E department. • Ensure patient flow and discharge enables patients in • Ensure that the design and layout of the emergency the A&E to be admitted to wards without undue delay. department protects patients and staff against the • Ensure patients are supported with access to risks associated with unsafe or unsuitable premises. information in a language that meets their needs • Take appropriate steps to ensure that, at all times, throughout the hospital. there are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, • Ensure that staff are appropriately trained to care for skilled and experienced staff employed to care for patients with dementia. patients’ needs, and safeguard their health, safety and • Improve the visibility of the executive team throughout welfare. the hospital and be open with the workforce regarding • Accurately complete ‘Do not attempt the strategic direction for the trust. cardio-pulmonary resuscitation’ (DNA CPR) forms, and • Ensure that all equipment is properly checked, document the discussions about end of life care with maintained and documented with sufficient patients. equipment available to meet needs of all patients. • Take proper steps to ensure that each patient is • Utilise the Intensive National Audit and Research protected against the risks of receiving care or Centre Case Mix programme (ICNARC data) to drive treatment that is inappropriate or unsafe by planning improvements and meet standards of care. the delivery of care and appropriate treatment meet • Ensure a regular programme for changing disposable the patients’ individual needs and have procedures in curtains. place to deal with emergencies which are reasonably • Ensure that appropriate risk assessments are expected to arise. undertaken where patients remain in the A&E • Review the ICU capacity across the trust; employ department for a prolonged period. suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff; and • Ensure that shift lead handovers in A&E take place have necessary equipment available to care for without interruptions to ensure prompt patients who require intensive or high dependency communication. care. • Ensure that access to CAMHS services are timely and • Ensure that planning and delivery of care meets meet the needs of patients. patients’ individual needs, and ensure the safety and • Ensure that access to equipment for use in chemical welfare of all patients. biological or hazardous incidents is easily accessible. • Increase staff knowledge of Deprivation of Liberty • Ensure all staff are aware of the process to raise Safeguards (DOLs) and the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) concerns in accordance with trust policy. through necessary training to improve safeguarding. • Ensure that communication to GPs following a • Improve contemporaneous record keeping by all staff consultation or inpatient stay is consistently to avoid misplacing records of care and observations. documented and sent in a timely way. • Ensure the staffing levels and admission criteria in the • Review transition processes for young people with all Rushey Midwife-led unit is maintained to ensure safe long term chronic conditions. care is provided to all women. There were also areas of practice where the trust should • Ensure that at all times there is a sufficient number of take action which are identified in the report. suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff employed to provide safe midwifery care in all areas. Professor Sir Mike Richards Chief Inspector of Hospitals 4 Royal Berkshire Hospital Quality Report