- NHS hospital
Peterborough City Hospital
Report from 26 June 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Medical care (Including older people's care)
Our view of the service
The North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWA NHS FT) was formed on 1 April 2017 when Peterborough and Stamford NHS Foundation Trust merged with Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust on 1 April 2017. The Trust provides acute hospital services across three sites, as well as Community Clinics at Doddington, Ely and Wisbech. They provide care for 850,000 people living in Peterborough, North and East Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, South Lincolnshire, East Leicestershire, Rutland, Bedfordshire and East Northamptonshire. The medical care services (including older people’s care) at Peterborough City Hospital have 410 medical inpatient beds located across 15 wards and units, including an endoscopy service. We carried out an assessment of medical care services following information of concern around access and flow, delayed discharges, staffing shortages, and culture. The assessment commenced on 26 June 2024, and included an unannounced visit to the medical service by a team of inspectors and specialist advisors on 30 and 31 July 2024. We inspected 13 quality statements across the safe, effective, responsive and well-led key questions and have combined the scores for these areas with scores from the last inspection to give the rating. Following the assessment, the service remains with an overall rating of good, with requires improvement for safe. We found two breaches of regulations relating to safe care and treatment and staffing. The needs of patients admitted to escalation areas and patients cared for in the corridor were not always met. Staff did not always follow boarding criteria and in-patient boarding was not always in line with policy. Oxygen cylinders were not always properly secured. Not all patients who received oxygen from a cylinder had individual risk assessments completed for this use. Staffing levels did not always meet planned levels. Compliance with training did not always meet the recommended target.
People's experience of this service
People we spoke with during our assessment told us risks were explained by staff and they mostly felt involved in decision making. They told us they knew who to contact during their care journey. Comments included “The procedure was not explained on the ward, but now I have asked questions and now come to a more informed decision”.
Some patients we spoke with told us they were not always informed of their planned care and treatment. We heard comments, such as, “We get mixed messages regarding which scans have been carried out and whether he needs a drip or not”.
Patients knew who to contact if they required support, and follow up arrangements were made prior to discharge.
People were confident about raising concerns and they said staff responded quickly.
Most patients we spoke with on assessment told us that they had access to meals and drinks when required, and that their nutrition and hydration needs were met. However, some patients we spoke with, particularly those cared for in in-patient boarded spaces (delivering care in areas not designed for clinical use), told us that they did not have access to meals that were specific to their dietary requirements.
People could access care, treatment, and support when they needed it, including out of hours and in an emergency. Most patients told us they were regularly updated automatically by staff on care and treatment. They, along with their families, were able to discuss possible treatment.
People did not experience discrimination or inequality. Most people with additional needs did not feel they were disadvantaged. The service made reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities, those with communication difficulties or cognitive impairment.