Hospital Potentially Putting Patients at Risk
A hospital may be putting patients and workers at risk.
Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is under review for putting patients at risk. Inspectors completing health and safety audits made an unannounced visit in October 2011 in order to determine if the hospital was following compliance laws. The hospital failed to comply with Regulation 10, which governs the assessment and monitoring of quality of service. The inspectors examined patient care plans and documentation of patient needs, finding the paperwork and care lacking.
Some of the records on patients were incomplete. This could lead to a death or near death issue with the patient. A nutritional assessment was also done to see if patients were eating healthily while in care of the doctors. Information was found to be lacking on these documents as well.
It is important that workstation risk assessment be completed by the managers of the hospital to ensure that all staff helping patients is being seen to. It is also important for the audits to be completed often to ensure the hospital fixes any issues that are currently going on. The hospital is sure to be fined for not complying with the rules. The fine may help set the staff members straight, but the fact remains that patients are at risk if something in the operation of the hospital does not change. It can also mean employees are at risk should someone else mark down incorrect information.
