MP Mike Wood: Urgent improvements vital for sepsis care at Russells Hall Hospital
An MP who battled deadly blood condition sepsis says it is vital Russells Hall Hospital makes swift improvements after a damning inspection report.
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, has been labelled “inadequate” for safety by the health watchdog and given an overall rating of “requires improvement”, meaning their has been no rise in standards since an inspection two years ago delivered the same result.
There are still major concerns around the safety of the A&E department, which the trust has been told it must address.
Several alarming findings were flagged up by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
It found patients were being left in corridors in potentially unsafe conditions and that treatment for sepsis – one of the nation’s biggest killers – was not always being provided on time.
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Targets for sepsis screening and administering antibiotics where required within an hour were missed from September to January.
Dudley South MP Mike Wood was given only a 10 per cent chance of survival when he was rushed into Russells Hall suffering with sepsis in 2017.
But thanks to the efforts of doctors and nurses from the hospital's dedicated critical care team he managed to pull through.
Today he said it was important that improvements were made.
'Most care is extremely good'
He said: “I was there when I developed sepsis but you inevitably think what would have happened if I turned up two hours later or earlier - would I still be here?
“We have to be careful not to scare people. Most people, the quality of care and treatment they receive at Russells Hall is extremely good but obviously there are still some worrying signs.”
He added: “It’s obviously good to see a lot of serious failings have been addressed but it really highlights how much more work urgently needs to be done to make sure everybody gets the standard of care and treatment they need whenever they go to Russells Hall.
"Clearly there is movement in the right direction but there are still failings which should not be happening in a hospital.”
WATCH: MP Mike Wood talks of his sepsis battle
Another concern was issues identified with diagnostic imaging, which includes x-rays, ultrasound and MRI scans, which potentially put patients at risk.
It marks the end of a difficult week for the trust after its dire financial position was laid bare and piles more pressure on the beleaguered board.
The CQC has warned chiefs it will be watching events at Russells Hall closely and that more inspections will be held to check if the necessary improvements are being enforced.
Safe staffing
Urgent improvements the trust must make include ensuring the emergency department is safe and preventing overcrowding, maintaining appropriate staffing levels and ensuring all staff “complete appropriate mandatory training”.
Just 78 per cent of patients were seen within four hours at Russells Hall in May, well below the national 95 per cent target.
A plan of action is also needed for “deteriorating patients” and “monitoring signs for sepsis”.
The CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals Professor Ted Baker said “inconsistent and poor practice meant that not all patients received sepsis treatment in a timely manner”.
“Not all patients were monitored and observed sufficiently to identify deterioration, and we were not assured that all patients allocated to wait on corridors were safe,” he added.
The chief inspector also said there was a risk of “avoidable harm” from x-rays and scans because not all staff had completed necessary training.
A lack of awareness around radiation regulations meant people “could have been exposed to radiation levels that may not have been as low as practicable”, he said.
“Underpinning these issues was insufficient oversight from the trust’s leadership and a shortage of managers with the right skills and experience.”
Praise for staff
There was, however, praise from the watchdog chief for the trust’s care for older people and palliative staff. Workers were also seen to treat people with “kindness and respect”.
In his conclusion, Mr Baker said: “Inspectors found good practice at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, but they also identified areas where significant improvement was needed.
“The trust’s board knows what it must do to ensure all necessary improvements are made. We continue to monitor the trust and will return to carry out further inspections to check on any progress with improvements.”
The Dudley Group said it was “disappointed” with inadequate ratings for safety and diagnostic imaging.
But chief executive Diane Wake said: “We are pleased the CQC recognised the outstanding aspects of our community end of life service which was rated good overall and received outstanding for caring.
"Community health services for adults received a good overall rating. This is great recognition of the dedication and commitment to excellent patient care these team deliver to their patients.”
