Isle of Wight East MP Joe Robertson says he is ‘sadly unsurprised’ by a damning Care Quality Commission (CQC) report into urgent and emergency care at St Mary’s Hospital, saying he witnessed patients being treated in corridors and even a converted cupboard during a visit earlier this year.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the CQC has issued a warning notice to the Isle of Wight NHS Trust following an inspection of urgent and emergency care and medical care, including older people’s services, at St Mary’s Hospital.
Inspectors found patients experiencing long waits, overcrowding and inappropriate care environments, with staff forced to care for people in unsuitable areas. They also intervened directly to secure help for distressed patients during the inspection.
Responding to the findings, MP Joe Robertson said the report reflected exactly what he had seen first-hand.
He said:
“I am sadly unsurprised by the CQC’s findings in relation to emergency care at St Mary’s Hospital. When I visited earlier in the year, I saw for myself people being treated on rows of trolleys and in unsuitable places like a converted cupboard.
“There were also ambulances parked outside with patients still in them because there was no space in the building. The staff were doing their absolute best in impossible circumstances.”
The Isle of Wight East MP said the underlying issue was not solely within the hospital itself, but the continuing pressures facing adult social care on the Island.
He added:
“But the fact remains that one of the biggest contributing factors to this desperate situation is a crisis in social care meaning that people cannot be discharged to a safe home environment and around 25 percent of beds on the wards are occupied by people who do not have a medical reason for being there.
“Until the Government grasps this issue by better supporting our Council the crisis will not be solved. The Island is not a city. The funding rules that apply elsewhere do not work for us and the unique challenges we face.”
The CQC’s inspection highlighted serious concerns about patient safety, overcrowding and the quality of care in St Mary’s emergency department, prompting the regulator to take enforcement action and require the Trust to make urgent improvements.
