Watchdog raises concerns over QMC corridor care

Urgent and emergency care at Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham still requires improvement, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

An unannounced inspection by the watchdog in April found A&E was often caring for more patients than it was designed for, with people treated in corridors due to a lack of space.

QMC, which is run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), retained its overall rating of requires improvement, while Nottingham City Hospital, also run by NUH, remained rated as good.

NUH said "an increased number of patients coming to hospital has been challenging" and acknowledged "there is more to do to ensure high-quality, safe care".

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC deputy director of hospitals for the central region, said when inspectors visited QMC they found a department "under pressure".

"Staff sometimes cared for people in corridors because there wasn't enough space and, as a result, they didn't always properly monitor people or provide effective handovers with colleagues," she said.

She added: "Leaders didn't always give staff enough support to keep people safe."

Inspectors said patients treated in corridor areas often had limited privacy and dignity, while inconsistent monitoring created a risk that deteriorating conditions could be missed.

Last month, a critical incident was declared by NUH after A&E saw three of its highest attendances on record in the space of a fortnight.

Urgent and emergency care at NUH was last inspected in 2021, when it was rated requires improvement.

This latest CQC report also raised concerns about medicines management in urgent and emergency care at QMC. It showed 25% of patients receiving time-critical medicines had a pharmacy review.

Inspectors also found several unlocked computers displaying confidential patient information and said mandatory training compliance among adult emergency department staff was 63%, below the trust's target of 85%.

However, the watchdog said patients and families were largely positive about staff, who continued to provide effective care despite significant pressures.

Medical care at both QMC and Nottingham City Hospitals was also inspected by the CQC and remained good at both hospitals.

At QMC, inspectors praised staff for treating patients with kindness and dignity and highlighted work with community organisations to support people after discharge.

They also noted a scheme providing wigs matching the hair and skin tones of cancer patients from ethnic minority backgrounds.

At Nottingham City Hospital, the CQC said previous concerns around medicines management had been addressed.

The CQC has asked NUH to provide action plans showing how it will address concerns over staffing, training, patient dignity and the management of urgent and emergency care services.

Tracy Pilcher, chief nurse at NUH, told the BBC: "We're working under considerable pressure.

"We've seen an increased number of patients coming to hospitals, both by ambulance and walking in, and that is reflective of the pressures in the NHS.

"It has been challenging working in our emergency department, with too many patients being cared for in corridors and unacceptable spaces.

"The rating of requires improvement reflects the hard work that we've been undertaking and our staff have been working incredibly hard.

"But there's more for us to do to ensure that we give that high-quality, safe care to patients accessing our emergency services."

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