The NHS Trust which closed Hammersmith A&E has been heavily criticised by a Care Quality Commission Report (CQC).
Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, which runs Hammersmith, St. Mary’s, Charing Cross and Queen Charlotte and Chelsea hospitals, was rated as ‘requiring improvement’ overall, the CQC’s second-worst rating.
St. Mary’s A&E was issued a formal warning over cleanliness, although the requested improvements had been acted upon since September’s inspection.
Charing Cross A&E, earmarked to be possibly downgraded to an emergency centre in the future, was rated as ‘good’.
Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter said: “Clearly Imperial has a lot to do to establish a safe and effective clinical practice.
“Against this background it would be madness to press ahead with the closure of Charing Cross A&E and the demolition of the hospital there.
“West London cannot cope at present with the demands on its acute hospitals – the government’s closure plans must be shelved immediately.
“The CQC report into Imperial Healthcare Trust is depressing reading as it shows services struggling to cope in the wake of cuts and closures.”
St Mary’s A&E and outpatient services were rated ‘inadequate’ by the report, with medical and surgery care rated as ‘requiring improvement’.
The report criticised nurse staffing levels in some areas and said patients should not be ‘left without food and fluids for excessively long periods’.
However the trust’s services were rated ‘good’ for being effective and caring.
Inspectors said patients were treated with respect and dignity by staff, with CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, saying staff had a ‘clear sense of pride in their work’.
Dr Tracey Batten, the chief executive of Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, said: “While we are disappointed with our overall rating of ‘requires improvement’, we think the report is extremely constructive.
“It clearly sets out our challenges while also recognising the positive impact of our work over the past year and highlighting the great care that we already provide.
“We acknowledge that there are a few areas, such as cleanliness in St Mary’s A&E, that have simply not been acceptable and there can be no excuse for that.”
Anne Drinkell, secretary of the Save Our Hospitals campaign group, called for Imperial to take a ’step back’ and have a moratorium on further changes at Charing Cross, where the stroke centre was rated ‘outstanding’ by the QCR report.
Speaking to South West Londoner, Ms Drinkell said: “That kind of success should be nurtured, not pulled apart. It takes a long time to build up an effective stroke team.
“It’s not a matter of weeks or months and it would be so foolish and short-sighted to dismantle what is a very successful formula.”
Hammersmith and Fulham Council leader, Steve Cowan, vowed to continue the council’s opposition to the proposed changes at Charing Cross in light of the report.
“This is a damming report which backs our view that closing Charing Cross Hospital’s A&E will put lives at risk,” he said.
“We are determined to defend Charing Cross and our local NHS and this report demonstrates just why it’s vital we do that.”
The CQC report comes just weeks after it was announced that Michael Mansfield QC will lead an inquiry into the effects of September’s Hammersmith and Central Middlesex A&E closures on nearby hospitals.
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