THE only hospital in the borough with an accident and emergency department has been ordered to improve by a health watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) says it gave Wigan's Royal Albert Edward Infirmary an unannounced inspection due to ‘concerns that were raised about the safety of services provided to patients’.

The hospital's Paediatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC), Emergency Care Centre (ECC) and Rainbow Ward were inspected and all were found to require improvement.

The CQC's report, which was published last Thursday, says: "The systems and processes for recognising risks and escalating the deteriorating patient were not always adhered to.

“Records were not always completed fully by medical and nursing staff, which meant there was limited evidence of the care provided to patients.

“Despite tools being available to help staff manage risks to patients, they were not always used effectively.

“For example, in some records we reviewed we saw no evidence of clinical observations, early warning scores and risk assessments.”

CQC inspectors looked at the hospital's assessment and observation of patients, record keeping and pathways of care for discharging or transferring patients as well as staff training and staffing levels in the surprise visit on March 17.

They found some improvements from the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust's hospital's previous CQC inspection in December 2015.

The report says: “The trust had improved the levels of training for nurses on Rainbow Ward, with higher compliance in advanced paediatric life support and tracheostomy care.

“Staffing levels on Rainbow Ward were also improved, with greater numbers of staff available to care for children at all times.

“Staff in the Emergency Care Centre were able to explain their actions during major incidents or incidents involving hazardous substances.”

The trust, which runs the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary and other hospitals in the borough, has an overall CQC rating of good.

A spokesman for the trust said: “There was one element of the CQC framework inspected, the safe domain, when they undertook their unannounced visit to two services at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary on March 17.

“The trust welcomed the unannounced inspection, the first since December 2015, when the trust received an overall rating of good, which has not changed.

“The trust received an improved rating for children’s and young people’s services, with the CQC noting there were improved levels of training for nurses in advance paediatric life support and tracheostomy care and greater numbers of staff available to care for children.

“The CQC also noted a number of positive comments in relation to urgent and emergency services, saying ‘there was a culture of reporting and learning from incidents among staff in the department’.

“The trust accepts improvements are required and will be responding to the CQC, outlining actions already taken, and actions planned, to address its areas of concern.”