HEALTH watchdog the Care Quality Commission has published a new report following an inspection of the emergency department at Russells Hall Hospital after a serious incident.

An unannounced focused inspection was carried out in April at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust’s A&E department after concerns were raised regarding how the service dealt with people presenting with a mental health condition.

The concerns relate to a serious incident in the emergency department, believed to be a suicide attempt, but neither the trust or CQC have confirmed what happened.

No new ratings have given, due to the focused nature of the inspection, so the overall rating for the hospital and the emergency department remains ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors from the CQC found during the recent visit that the service did not always follow the trust’s own policy for observing people in A&E that required close observation; and information about serious incidents and subsequent learning was not always shared with partner services.

However, the inspection found the design, maintenance and use of facilities, premises and equipment generally kept people safe in the emergency department.

Inspectors also noted staff assessed risks to people using the service, acted on them and kept accurate care records; and that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals generally worked together as a team to benefit people using the service.

The report, published on the CQC website, said leaders had a vision for what they wanted to achieve and a strategy to turn it into action and that staff followed national guidance to gain people’s consent.

Charlotte Rudge, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “When we inspected the emergency department, we found that staff and leaders were working well together to ensure people experiencing mental ill-health were kept safe and free from harm.

“The service managed safety incidents well, learned lessons from them and it was good to see that managers debriefed and fully supported staff after any serious incidents.

“It was positive that the lead nurse for mental health had produced a new mental health training package for emergency department staff that focused on triage, as well as understanding and managing behaviours of people at risk of self-harm and suicide.

“All staff and managers we spoke with showed commitment to improving the service and were receptive to our feedback.

“We will continue to monitor the trust, including through future inspections, to ensure people using the department continue to receive safe and appropriate care.”

Dudley Group chief executive Diane Wake said: “We are pleased the inspectors found our staff and leaders working well together to ensure people experiencing mental ill-health were kept safe and free from harm.

“They also noted our staff managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them, and that managers debriefed and fully supported staff after any serious incident.

“We are proud of the dedication and commitment our staff have shown to improving patient safety and experience within our emergency department.”

She said the trust is “committed to ensuring policies and procedures are followed and further work has been undertaken to ensure this happens” but she would not provide details of the incident that led to the inspection.