AFTER another damning report on the level of care within the Mid and South Essex NHS Hospitals Trust a regional MP has repeated her call for action.

Last week Nub News reported on the shocking performance record at the hospitals operated by the trust, that includes Broomfield in Chelmsford, which saw it in the bottom ten of 134 trusts across the country.

Today more criticism is heaped on the trust following publication of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors' reports on local children's care. Basildon and Broomfield hospitals have been rated as 'inadequate' and they also downgraded Southend Hospital's services from good to requires improvement.

Inspectors found there were high numbers of children readmitted soon after discharge.

Inspections were carried out in response to 'specific incidents and ongoing concerns' over the safety of children receiving care, the CQC said.

Staff were found to be under "severe pressure" at Basildon Hospital and often cared for up to 20 children in rooms designed for six.

They told inspectors that high demand and staffing shortages made it difficult to manage risks safely.

The specific failings at Broomfield Children and Young People's Services are:

• Leaders had allowed a poor safety culture to develop where staff were afraid to raise concerns due to fear of reprisals.
• The trust didn’t ensure staffing levels and skill mix were sufficient to meet the needs of children and young people, and inspectors saw examples of unsafe early discharges leading to high re-admission rates.
• Young people and families told inspectors care between departments wasn't always timely, leading to long waiting times. They weren't always told what was going to happen and why.
• Some parents preparing their child for surgery said staff had familiarised them with one ward, only for the admission to be changed at the last minute, causing confusion and distress.
• Inspectors found limited evidence in urgent and emergency care that the service actively sought out, listened to, and responded to information about children and young people most likely to experience inequality in care or outcomes.

The full report can be read via this link.

In the wake of today's report Thurrock MP Jen Craft, who last week called for government intervention at the Mid and South Essex Trust, said: "While this report will be deeply worrying to families in Thurrock, its findings are sadly not a surprise.

"This is yet another example of how failures in running Basildon Hospital are letting down Thurrock residents and potentially putting patients at risk.

"Frontline staff are working under severe pressure and in impossible conditions, with children and young people receiving an unacceptable standard of care as a result.

"None of this is their fault, frontline staff deliver the best care they can, as my family along with so many in our community have experienced time and time again. The fault lies solely with hospital management who are letting down both staff and patients

"There must now be urgent action to deliver long-overdue improvements at the trust, so local families are secure in the knowledge that their loved ones will receive safe and reliable care at the hospital."