Clinical Negligence Solicitors

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced that the Chief Inspector of Hospitals has recommended Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Northamptonshire be placed into special measures.

The move was taken after a CQC inspection rated the trust as “Inadequate” overall.

Following inspections carried out in October 2016, the CQC found the trust needed to make urgent improvements in a number of areas, to ensure it was consistently delivering care which was safe, effective, caring and responsive to people’s needs in services that are well led.

The trust provides a wide range of services to around 320,000 people across North Northamptonshire, South Leicestershire and into Rutland

The trust was rated as “Inadequate” for being safe and well led – and requires improvement for being effective and responsive. It was rated as “Good” for being caring.

Inspectors found several concerns in the emergency department, which was rated “Inadequate” overall.

There were insufficient staffing levels to meet the needs of patients – and there were no effective processes in place to ensure patients who self-presented at A&E were safe to wait up to two hours to see a clinician.

The initial clinical assessment for patients who self-presented was also not in line with national reporting guidelines.

Urgent improvements were also needed in services for children and young people – significant risks identified on inspection had not been recognised, assessed or mitigated.

Inspectors found that leaders at the trust did not always recognise the significance of risks throughout the service – or weaknesses identified as part of audits or reviews.

Some patients also experienced long delays waiting for treatment, specifically for urology, maxillofacial and ear, nose and throat services.

CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said:

“We found a number of serious problems when we inspected the services run by Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – and I have made a recommendation to NHS Improvement that the trust should be placed into special measures.

“We made NHS Improvement aware of our concerns following the inspection – and it has begun to work with the trust to make sure these are appropriately addressed and that progress is monitored.

“One of the reasons we rated the trust as ‘Inadequate’ for being well led and safe was because risks to patients were not always identified – and when they were identified, there was a lack of adequate management of these.

“In addition, there was a lack of learning from incidents to prevent patient harm – this was particularly the case in the emergency department, outpatients and services for children and young people.

“The trust has been receiving support from NHS Improvement – and the trust managers have told us they have listened to our inspectors’ findings and have begun to take action where it is required.”

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence solicitors can advise those who have suffered injury as a result of medical negligence on how to make a no win no fee claim for compensation, including claims involving poor care or the death of a loved one as a result of hospital negligence.

Medical negligence or fatal injury claims have to be made within three years of injury or the death of a loved one. Children can make medical negligence claims up to the age of 21 for injuries sustained below the age of 18.

For expert legal advice on no win no fee Medical Negligence Claims, call Duncan Lewis medical negligence solicitors on 0333 772 0409.