King's hospital told to improve after inspection

Two services at King's College Hospital in south London have been rated as requiring improvement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors reporting on the urgent and emergency care unit said patients were often cared for in corridors because of a lack of space, sometimes for long periods.

At the children and young people unit, staff did not always assess risks to people's health and safety or mitigate them where identified, according to the CQC.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said although inspectors had noted improvements, despite demand for both services being high, it had to "make sure we get the basics right".

The hospital, in Denmark Hill, retains its overall requires improvement rating, as does the trust.

Of the urgent and emergency care unit, which includes an adult emergency department, a paediatric emergency department and an urgent treatment centre, the report also said staff did not always follow infection prevention and control procedures and criticised the lack of a dedicated pharmacy service.

Inspectors did however note there were some areas of good practice, including a positive culture within the service, with staff being able to raise concerns and ask for help, and that there had been "significant improvements" since the last inspection.

People's experiences were often affected by systemic pressures on the service, the report noted. These included long waiting times, and patients having to be cared for in the corridor due to a lack of space within the department, often for long periods of time.

Of children's services, the CQC said although leaders had started to take action to address concerns identified previously around mandatory training, risk assessment, culture and leadership, further improvements needed to be made.

They said: "Governance systems and audits were not effective in identifying or addressing areas for improvement.

"However, staff were up to date with their appraisal, and children and young people were treated with dignity, kindness, respect and compassion."

Trust chief executive Matthew Trainer said it was positive the CQC had found some improvements, but that it was "clear that improvements were needed".

"Demand for both services is high, but we need to make sure we get the basics right despite the pressures."

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