Latest news with #RQIA
Belfast Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
Department of Health bypassed own regulator over report into the Royal's cardiac unit
A leaked report made headlines last week after it found an 'intolerable working environment and a pattern of consistently poor behaviour within the unit'. It indicated operations had been cancelled due to 'personal grievances' between staff and that four consultants had been working from home, citing 'safety and wellbeing' concerns. Chair of the health committee, Sinn Féin's Philip McGuigan, has called on the department to publish the report 'in the interest of transparency', adding that he had not yet seen it. Northern Ireland's health watchdog, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), has confirmed it was not approached to carry out a review into the issues at the cardiac surgery unit. A spokesperson said: 'RQIA has not been asked to produce any such report recently.' The body had previously inspected the unit in December 2021. It came a year after a Royal College of Surgeons invited service review report which found a 'breakdown of communication and working relationships within the service'. The invited service review was completed in March 2020, just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, and made 37 recommendations relating to interpersonal and behavioural issues within the service. RQIA's review found some improvements had been made. 'RQIA were pleased to see early signs of change and improvement whilst cognisant that it takes time to make cultural changes and embed these fully within a service; it is a journey that requires strong and resilient leadership to embed the vision, align behaviours accordingly and instil robust systems of monitoring and accountability,' concluded the regulator. It recommended that the Trust should 'ensure the cardiothoracic management team involves and actively engages with all staff disciplines and groups'. 'Meetings should be structured to promote constructive discussion and collaboration to address the recommendations of the invited service review,' added the review team. It is understood the leaked review was commissioned by the Public Health Agency (PHA) working alongside the department. A Department of Health spokesperson said 'expert input' from other parts of the UK was required to complete the report. 'Cardiac surgery is a highly specialised service and the Royal Victoria Hospital is the only unit in Northern Ireland to deliver this service,' they said. 'For this reason, securing expertise from people experienced in the area means going outside Northern Ireland. 'An earlier external review had been undertaken in the Royal Victoria Hospital by the Royal College of Surgeons. That review confirmed the cardiac service was safe, but highlighted areas for improvement. Whilst Belfast Trust subsequently undertook work to address issues raised, the department and PHA obtained further external expertise to help support the team with a focus on two metrics — patient safety and team working. 'It was agreed to engage an experienced team with specific expertise involving senior clinicians who had completed similar work in the UK, including in other cardiac surgery units.' Mr McGuigan told the BBC Sunday Politics programme that the report had led to 'very many public trust issues'. 'We are told there are recommendations and an action plan contained within the report. 'I think for proper scrutiny and to restore public trust, what we need to see is the report in the first instance published so we can interrogate the recommendations for restoring public trust in this issue,' he said. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has said he wants to place the report in the library of the Assembly, but is currently receiving legal advice. 'People need to have confidence when they go to a hospital or whatever health setting that they are going to be looked after properly,' added Mr McGuigan. 'One of the things in the report was that the behaviour of the staff was posing a risk to patient safety, so that in itself is very concerning.'
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Belfast: RQIA watchdog's 'serious concerns' at supported living facility
"Serious concerns" have been identified by Northern Ireland's health watchdog regarding the delivery of care at a supported living facility in west same facility – The Mews - was previously criticised by the parents of one of its service users in an interview with BBC News NI. The Cedar Foundation, which runs the service, said it acknowledged there were "areas" where compliance had not been "fully met".It comes after the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) found a series of failings which, it said, compromised service users' quality of life. Cedar said it was now working to implement a "comprehensive action plan" to address the issues it also argued that the standards applied by the RQIA in regulating supported living services were outdated and not necessarily relevant to people with complex this year, Mark and Marjorie Sharp said Cedar had threatened to evict their daughter after they made multiple complaints regarding her 39, has a severe learning disability and has been living at The Mews for seven and Mrs Sharp have now welcomed the RQIA's decision to take enforcement action against the facility. The RQIA carried out an unannounced inspection at The Mews over the course of three days in February and March. It said this was in response to receiving information at the start of concluded that the service was "failing to consistently and meaningfully implement a supported living model of care" that focuses on promoting service users' "independence" and "choice", and the "delivery of person-centred care".It said these "deficits" undermined the core principles of supported living and therefore "compromise service users' quality of life".The watchdog issued the facility with two "failure-to-comply" notices - giving it until June to ensure its concerns have been is also seeking to impose a condition on The Mews that would prevent it from admitting any new service users without prior and Mrs Sharp said they recognised some of the failings identified by the RQIA in their daughter's said Laura had "no quality of life" at The Mews and they believed she had been "neglected".They said she was "more like a detained patient" than someone being supported to live as independently as possible. 'Not fit for purpose' In a statement to BBC News NI, Cedar said "many" of those within its supported living service had "positive experiences", but added there were "instances where individual needs may go beyond the scope of supported living".Among the RQIA's findings were a "limited structure" to service users' daily routines, as well as staff not having the required knowledge or skills to effectively manage or avert behavioural incidents, resulting in service users being "contained in a restrictive environment".It described as "concerning" the use of "restrictive practices", including the locking of some service users' doors and limiting their ability to access the garden and watchdog identified an "inflexible and indiscriminate" approach to the use of key fobs to control access to internal doors and gates, regardless of whether service users had said it was not assured that such practices promoted the "rights, dignity and choice" of those living at the told BBC News NI that the restrictive practices identified by the RQIA were in place specifically to keep some service users safe depending on the complexity of their needs and that they were formally assessed by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, which commissions the service. Following the RQIA's findings, Mr Sharp said the facility was "not fit for purpose".Mrs Sharp said her daughter was "suffering" in the facility – that her wellbeing had declined sharply over the past year to the point where she now sleeps during much of the day."When she first went in she was out every day either going shopping, or going for a walk, going for a coffee," she said."Laura has no quality of life. She's like a detained patient – or a detained resident in supported living. Laura has nothing to look forward to. She has no structure."Mrs Sharp added that she believed the system had "let Laura down". What has been the response? Cedar Foundation said it remained committed to doing its best "to ensure that disabled people get the support most appropriate to their needs".The Belfast Trust, which commissioned Cedar to provide Laura's care, said it was "very sorry" that the current situation concerning Laura's placement was "causing considerable stress and anxiety to her and her family"."Laura's wellbeing is of vital importance to us and we will continue to work with her family regarding the next steps in finding the best outcome for her," it trust added that it was working with Cedar on an agreed action plan to address the RQIA's this year, Cedar gave Mr and Mrs Sharp notice of what they described as their daughter's main reason for its decision, it said in a letter to the couple, was that it was "unable to provide the care and support that Laura needs".It added that relationships had "broken down" between Mr and Mrs Sharp and Cedar staff, citing "ongoing incidents of verbal aggression, disparaging comments, and intimidation" by Mr and Mrs Sharp towards and Mrs Sharp told BBC News NI they had never been abusive and had only ever acted in the best interests of their daughter.
