Specialist Wiltshire NHS-funded hospital rated 'inadequate'

A specialist NHS-funded hospital which cares for people with neurological conditions has been judged "inadequate".

South Newton Hospital in Salisbury, Wiltshire is run by private firm Renovo Care and provides NHS-funded services for up to 17 patients.

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report said it did not "meet legal requirements relating to safe care".

Renovo said it was committed to making "swift and sustainable improvements".

The report is based on an announced inspection which took place in January following "concerns about ongoing risks" and because it had not had a "comprehensive inspection" since it was registered in 2020.

Its overall rating for the hospital - whose adult patients suffer from neurological conditions - was "inadequate" as well as being "inadequate for being safe and well-led".

Caring was rated as "good" while responding to people's needs "required improvement".

Cath Campbell, CQC's head of hospital inspection, said that while staff were "focused on the needs of patients" they had "concerns about how the service was being run".

She added: "Leaders didn't effectively investigate or share learning from incidents that occurred and make recommendations to reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again".

"In addition, the service didn't always recognise safeguarding concerns and report them appropriately.

"For example, one person complained that a member of staff had removed a whistle so it was out of reach from someone who used this as their primary mode of calling for help."

Inspectors were also "concerned that the service was not doing everything possible to protect patients from the risk of contracting Covid-19".

During the inspection "staff were not using enhanced personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves for patients undergoing procedures" like helping clear a patient's airway.

"They had also not considered the additional challenges of detecting Covid-19 symptoms, such as a loss of taste or smell, in patients who have neuro disabilities or brain injuries.

"We have now told the provider that it must make a number of improvements and we will continue to monitor the service to ensure that these are made and fully embedded."

The report ruled that the hospital did not "meet legal requirements relating to safe care and treatment, infection control, safeguarding and good governance".

Responding to the report, a spokeswoman for Renovo Care said it had acknowledged the feedback and was pleased with the 'good' rating for being a caring service.

She added: "We are disappointed with the overall rating and are committed to making swift and sustainable improvements, led by the senior team and an experienced manager who is currently undergoing CQC registration."

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