CONCERNS have been raised about the levels of staff and the security of patient records at Salisbury District Hospital, following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out spot-check reviews of compliance in all areas of health and safety, including the care and welfare of people who use the service, cleanliness of the hospital, standards of infection control and the monitoring of service provision.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust was found to meet all care and cleanliness standards following the unannounced inspection in February, but two areas – staffing and management - required action.

Inspectors found that patients were not being cared for by enough suitable skilled, qualified and experienced nursing and health care staff. The report, published on March 23, also found that records were not always kept securely to protect patients’ confidential information. Peter Hill, chief executive of the trust, said: “This is a very good report which reflects the hard work and commitment of our staff and shows that our patients are treated with respect and dignity and that we are providing good quality, safe care, in a clean hospital environment.”

He added: “We recognise the CQC noted a minor concern on staffing and records. We already have plans in place to increase staff numbers following a ‘skill mix review’. We will also look to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring that patient records are not left unattended while staff are using these to assess the care and treatment needed while they are on the ward. “Following the Francis Report, all hospitals can now expect greater scrutiny and it’s true to say that this was a challenging and rigorous assessment,” said Mr Hill. “With this in mind, it was pleasing to see that the CQC particularly noted the quality of care we provide for elderly patients and patients with dementia within the hospital and that our staff treated our patients with real compassion and dignity.

“The inspection team were clearly impressed with the motivation and professionalism of our staff.”

The full report is available at cqc.org.uk.