Patients 'at risk of harm' at hospital

INSPECTORS HEAR STAFF SHORTAGES RESULTED IN DELAYED PAIN RELIEF

- By HELENA VESTY

PATIENTS have been left in pain, while others stopped asking for help after facing delays to their care amid shocking staffing shortages at a hospital.

Surgical services at Salford Royal Hospital have been served with a warning notice by health inspectors after they found patients were at risk of abuse and bottles and bed pans of urine were left in ward bathrooms, with staff short on time to clear them.

Surgical services have been rated as ‘requires improvement’ by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following an inspection from September 23 to 25.

The visit was carried out ‘due to concerns regarding how gynaecology, spinal and neurosurgery services are managed, as well as to look at their safety processes’.

The latest review came after the CQC found regulatory breaches at a previous inspection.

‘Most of these remained a concern at this latest inspection,’ inspectors said.