Latest news with #Care Quality Commission
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Emergency care at Countess of Chester 'inadequate'
Inspectors have graded the emergency services department at the Countess of Chester Hospital as 'inadequate'.An unannounced inspection of the urgent and emergency services department by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this year found improvements needed to be made in safeguarding, as well as in the safety of premises and for the health watchdog found repeated breaches of legal regulations in five areas, and have subsequently issued a warning notice to the hospital trust calling for "rapid improvements".The Trust said it was disappointed by the rating and had taken immediate action following the CQC's recommendations. Breaches in regulation The inspection was carried out in February, in response to concerns regarding the access, flow and care of people with mental health issues attending A&E, as well as how people are cared for in non-clinical areas such as the CQC said some of the concerns raised were substantiated by their addition, inspectors found previous concerns regarding the cleanliness of the department and the regular testing of equipment to make sure it was safe, had not been Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said there were ongoing issues over how the department managed the flow of patients within A&E and on to the wards. Inspectors found poor practice slowed down the discharge process and led to "significant delays" in those who were waiting receiving treatment, with their conditions sometimes deteriorating as a result."People were sometimes held in ambulances for prolonged periods of time due to this limited capacity in the department," said Ms Knapton."We also saw someone with suspected sepsis not receiving treatment according to national guidance, placing them at risk of harm."She said gaps in staffing cover, "combined with a very busy department", meant people being cared for in corridor beds "had become normalised".A warning notice was issued due to breaches of five of the legal regulations in relation to: dignity and respect, safeguarding from abuse and improper treatment, premises and equipment, governance, and inspectors found the department demonstrated a strong commitment to learning, improvement, and staff wellbeing, and said staff were encouraged to report incidents. 'Long-standing challenges' "We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid improvements and will continue to monitor the service closely," Ms Knapton trust has received £7.5m since the inspection in February, to help implement Tomkinson, Chief Executive Officer of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our focus remains on addressing some long-standing challenges, and we are committed to supporting our teams to ensure that the actions we take lead to sustainable improvements in our services."We will continue to work closely with our regulators, and we anticipate a further inspection in due course where the improvements will be demonstrated."The overall rating for Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust remains as 'requires improvement'. Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
06-08-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Blackpool Council adult social care services 'inadequate'
A watchdog has found Blackpool Council's adult social care services to be inadequate. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave the authority the lowest rating after an inspection in report highlighted weaknesses in dealing with mental health and substance abuse, saying "the authority had fragmented plans to tackle these issues and need a more strategic joined up approach".Blackpool Council said it was disappointed and that work to "address the findings and conduct rapid improvements" had already begun. Inspectors looked at nine areas of the service and gave them a score out of four - with one being where "the evidence showed significant shortfalls", and four where it "showed an exceptional standard".Blackpool Council scored one in six of the areas and two in the remaining three. 'Unexpected' The watchdog noted that people who identified as LGBTQIA+ "received a different standard of care and support compared to people with less bespoke needs".Councillor Neal Brookes, deputy leader of Blackpool Council and cabinet member for adult social care, said he was shocked by these said: "Up until the CQC report landed, we worked on the national metric, [and] in two thirds of them we were good or above average. "We don't accept that things ever stand still, but we didn't expect inadequate."He added there was no evidence of adults being unsafe. James Bullion, the CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said there needed to be stronger added: "We've already moved to bring in new people, because we need an outside perspective. We need to collect what's being done well elsewhere. "Obviously in any change programme there are consequences. It's too early to say what those are." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former nurse loses legal challenge over registration of private gender clinic
A former nurse has lost a High Court legal challenge over the health watchdog's decision to register England's first private clinic offering gender treatment to young people. Susan Evans and a mother known as XX took legal action against the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over its decision to register the Gender Plus Hormone Clinic (GPHC) in Birmingham in January last year. The two also challenged the regulator's decision last December to continue the clinic's registration and to allow it to prescribe cross-sex hormone treatment to 16 and 17-year-olds without conditions. The clinic, which was rated outstanding by the watchdog last year, treats people aged 16 and older, including through prescribing gender-affirming – masculinising or feminising – hormones, but, in line with the NHS, does not prescribe puberty blockers. Lawyers for the women told a hearing in June that the CQC had acted 'irrationally' and made decisions that were 'simply not open to it', given the NHS's stance on hormone treatment for children aged 16 and 17 in light of the Cass Review. The CQC and GPHC opposed the challenge, with barristers telling the hearing in London that the legal challenge was 'fatally flawed' and the clinic was found to be 'committed to the safety and best interests of its patients'. In a ruling on Thursday, Mrs Justice Eady dismissed the claim, saying there was 'no irrationality in the decisions reached' and they were within the 'rational range' of options available to the watchdog. Hormone treatment was previously provided on the NHS at the now-closed Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) run by Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, where Ms Evans worked. But a review published by Baroness Cass in April last year said 'extreme caution' should be demonstrated when deciding to prescribe the treatment to 16 and 17-year-olds, and that there should be 'clear clinical rationale for providing hormones at this stage rather than waiting until an individual reaches 18'. The NHS has opened three specialist children's gender clinics and has plans for a further five covering the seven NHS regions in England by the end of 2026, but has said that all recommendations for hormone interventions must be endorsed by a national multi-disciplinary team (MDT). It is understood that the MDT has not yet received any recommendations for hormone treatment for 16 and 17-year-olds since the Cass Review. GPHC was set up by Dr Aidan Kelly and is led by nurse consultant Paul Carruthers, who both worked at Gids, and has previously said it primarily treats patients aged between 16 and 25, using its own MDT. Tom Cross KC, for Ms Evans and XX, said in written submissions that there were 'a number of key differences' between GPHC and NHS safeguards, including that referrals to the former came from Dr Kelly's company, Kelly Psychology, which is unregulated. He said in court that the CQC had 'not factored in' parts of the treatment process on the NHS, which 'serve as important safeguards' and were 'obviously material'. He said consideration of these points would have led to the treatment of under-18s being halted. Jamie Burton KC, for the CQC, said that there was 'ample evidence' that Kelly Psychology 'did not pose an unacceptable risk' to patients, and that a 'significant number' of those assessed by the company were not referred for treatment at GPHC. The court was told that the CQC found no evidence of 'improper decision making or anything that might flag a concern', and that the CQC 'had regard' to NHS processes. Peter Mant KC, for Gender Plus Healthcare Limited, said that there was no legal requirement for a private provider to mirror NHS care and that the clinic's model was 'entirely consistent' with the Cass Review and NHS policy. In a 64-page ruling, Mrs Justice Eady said: 'Accepting that (GPHC) could neither access the NHS national MDT nor precisely replicate it, but keeping in mind the purpose of the NHS model, I cannot say that the CQC's finding of sufficient alignment was outside the reasonable range of conclusions open to it.' She continued: 'The range was set by reference to the substance that underpinned the NHS structures, not merely the choices made as to the form that those structures should take. 'Applying that approach, as I am satisfied the CQC did, the decisions reached fall within the rational range, and the CQC was entitled to conclude that no further conditions were required.'
