Source · CQC inspection

Wansbeck General Hospital

Provider Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Type NHS Healthcare Organisation Region North East Last inspected 5 May 2016

Overall rating: Outstanding  View full CQC report

Domain ratings

Five CQC key questions
Safe
Good
Effective
Good
Caring
Outstanding
Responsive
Outstanding
Well-led
Outstanding

Earlier inspection findings

pre-2024 framework · 2 must-do 8 should-do

Must-do actions (2)

Legal requirements based on regulation breaches identified during inspection.

Must-do action 1 of 2
Must do
Well-led
Complete a comprehensive gap analysis against the recommendation made for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
⚠ The service had not benchmarked themselves effectively against the recommendations of the Kirkup Report (2015).
Must-do action 2 of 2
Must do
Well-led
Ensure that the maternity and gynaecology dashboard is fit for purpose, robust and open to scrutiny.
⚠ We were concerned with the levels of scrutiny provided by the directorate with regard to the maternity dashboard. The dashboard contained inaccuracies, for example the number of instrumental, operative and vaginal births did not equate to 100%. This meant we were concerned with the accuracy and monitoring of the dashboard …

Should-do actions (8)

Recommended improvements to enhance service quality.

Should-do action 1 of 8
Should do
Effective
Ensure that levels of staff training continue to improve in the hospital so that the hospital meets the trust target by 31st March 2016.
Should-do action 2 of 8
Should do
Safe
Consider circulating guidance to staff about when to stop using the ‘see and treat’ model when the department is busy and revert to the triage model, to ensure patient safety and improve responsiveness.
Should-do action 3 of 8
Should do
Safe
Consider training for reception staff to help identify patients who may need to be brought to the attention of clinical staff more quickly.
Should-do action 4 of 8
Should do
Effective
Consider increasing the number of independent nurse prescribers to enable more flexibility in prescribing of medication in the ECC when there are no doctors available.
Should-do action 5 of 8
Should do
Safe
Ensure that resuscitation equipment is checked consistently, in line with trust procedures, on all medical wards.
Should-do action 6 of 8
Should do
Safe
Ensure that fridge temperatures are checked consistently, in line with trust procedures.
Should-do action 7 of 8
Should do
Well-led
Ensure that the clinical strategy for maternity and gynaecology services which is embedded within the Emergency Surgery and Elective Care Annual Plan, sets out the priorities for the service with full details about how the service is to achieve its priorities, so that staff understand their role in achieving those priorities.
Should-do action 8 of 8
Should do
Responsive
Ensure waiting time targets in ultrasound in diagnostic imaging services continue to improve as more staff are appointed.

Location details

CQC ID: RTFED
Local authority: Northumberland
Region: North East

Inspection report

Type: Location
Date: 5 May 2016
Rating: Outstanding
Actions: 2 must-do 8 should-do
AI-extracted 3 Jun 2026