King’s College Hospital’s urgent and emergency care was inspected as well as its services for children and young people
Two services at King’s College Hospital ‘require improvement’ following inspections by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Urgent and emergency care, and services for children and young people, were both rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ after a CQC inspection in May, with the former seeing a further inspection in June.
The departments’ ratings have remained unchanged since they were last inspected, while the hospital’s overall rating remains as ‘Requires Improvement’.
King’s College Hospital is located in Denmark Hill and is run by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The trust itself also holds a rating of Requires Improvement, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) in July, after staff reported bullying, harassment, discrimination and “inequitable” career progression.
Matthew Trainer, Chief Executive of the Trust, said it was positive that the CQC found some improvements had been made at Kings College Hospital’s urgent and emergency care, between the May inspection and follow-up in June, and that patients “continue to recognise the kindness and professionalism of our staff”.
He added: “However, it is clear that improvements in urgent and emergency care are needed, and the same is true of services for children and young people. Demand for both services is high, but we need to make sure we get the basics right despite the pressures.”
Urgent and emergency care
Its urgent and emergency services, which include an adult emergency department, a paediatric emergency department and an urgent treatment centre, were inspected at short notice on May 12 and 13. The CQC returned for a further unannounced assessment on June 11 with the result shared in an inspection report on August 28.
Inspectors rated the department as Requires Improvement, highlighting overcrowding and long waits, a failure to ensure corridor care was delivered as safely as possible, and the lack of a dedicated pharmacy service.
Staff didn’t always follow infection prevention control procedures, the report adds.
When inspectors visited for a second time in June, they said the service had made “significant improvements” to some of the initial issues they found in May. They also noted there were some areas of good practice. This included a positive culture within the service, with staff being able to raise concerns and ask for help.
Inspectors said people’s experiences were often affected by systemic pressures on the service. These included long waiting times, and patients having to be cared for in the corridor due to a lack of space within the department, often for long periods of time.
Services for children and young people
Inspectors carried out a short-notice visit of the hospital’s services for children and young people on May 12 and 13 due to perceived risk and as a follow-up on the last assessment.
During a previous inspection, the CQC found three breaches of regulation around incidents, mandatory training, staffing, records, risk assessment, culture, leadership and governance.
The service retained its ‘Requires Improvement’ rating. Inspectors said although leaders had started to take action to address concerns identified previously, further improvements still needed to be made.
They said: “Staff did not always assess risks to people’s health and safety or mitigate them where identified. Governance systems and audits were not effective in identifying or addressing areas for improvement.
“However, staff were up to date with their appraisal, and children and young people were treated with dignity, kindness, respect and compassion.”
Staff were described as warm, helpful, kind, competent, professional, and respectful. Children, young people and their relatives spoke positively about the food, playroom, youth room and parent room.
However, a few parents felt that sometimes plans progressed slowly, and communication between teams could be improved and strengthened.
More information surrounding the latest inspections can be found on the CQC’s website.
Don’t miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MySouthLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.
