Safety concerns prompt downgrade at Wigan hospital

The Care Quality Commission has downgraded Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan from good to requires improvement after inspectors identified serious concerns within its emergency and medical services.

An unannounced inspection found problems with triage, sepsis care, staffing and the treatment of adults and children experiencing mental health crises. The regulator issued the trust with a warning notice requiring rapid improvements.

Inspectors found the emergency department was failing to meet its sepsis targets. In two cases, follow-up action had not been completed more than 18 hours after possible sepsis was identified, despite national guidance calling for treatment within an hour.

More than 900 patients had spent over 12 hours in the emergency department during the month before the inspection. The department also had 10 consultants in post, compared with national guidance recommending between 18 and 25.

Overcrowding meant patients with different needs, including people receiving intravenous fluids and those experiencing mental health crises, were being accommodated together in an unsuitable waiting room. Inspectors also found there were no dedicated spaces for some high-risk young people.

Medical care was also downgraded after inspectors found staffing shortages, inappropriate use of corridor spaces and repeated ward moves. However, patients generally spoke positively about staff, while early improvements had been made to triage and ambulance handover times.

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