Trust bans ‘boarding’ practice in wake of CQC action

Moving patients between wards has been banned by the trust running the Shropshire’s two main hospitals.

The practice of ‘boarding’ by the Shrewsbury and Telford (SaTH) NHS Trust was criticised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during an unannounced inspection in August.

It also imposed conditions after raising serious concerns relating to the care of patients at the emergency department of the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

Deidre Fowler, director of Nursing and Quality, yesterday said: “We accept what should have been exceptional had become normal.

“But we immediately took the decision to cease boarding and have a zero totality of that now.

“It is important to note we believe the concerns raised have to be taken as significant concerns and opportunities to plan, and what we saw were responses to a condition of a very fragile workforce and reliance on locum staff.”

Simon Wright, chief executive of SaTH, added hospital staff didn’t want to board patients.

“We have been boarding because we have been overwhelmed with patients, not for other nefarious reasons,” he said.

Their comments came as health bosses from SaTH and the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) faced a grilling by councillors in the wake of the CQC enforcement action.

Mr Wright said the workforce shortages have been long running and two unsuccessful requests were made for additional mid-grade doctors in February and August.

But he said Health Education England – an arm of the Department for Health – had given a positive review of their efforts to attract staff.

He said: “They felt the trust was probably the most explorative in its approach in trying to be an attractive place for junior doctors to come and work.”

The committee was reminded SaTH had successfully bid for £2.5 million for an urgent care centre at the PRH, which is due to open in November, plus an additional £3.1 million to open a ward at the RSH to help winter capacity which should be open by December 24.

But Mr Wright stressed more staff were needed. He said: “It’s not just about creating capacity, it’s about having the workforce to care for these patients.

“We will all remember last winter was particularly challenging with the volume of patients we hadn’t seen before coming in.

“We have got to be able to provide additional ways of balancing this.”

The meeting was told the SaTH board will meet next week to look at a possible overnight closure of the emergency department at either the PRH or the RSH.

David Evans, chief officer for Telford & Wrekin CCG, said both CCGs had tried to support SaTH with its issues.

He added: “We have taken a very proactive approach to support the trust.

“We are aware of the pressure around mid-grade doctors and have done everything we can do to work with them in a collaborative way.”