"Record-keeping in need of improvement" at Broomfield Hospital

Broomfield Hospital has been warned about their record keeping.

After recent spending cuts to the NHS, the Care Quality Commission, CQC, issued a formal warning to the Mid Essex Hospitals Trust about the keeping of patient records, especially at the Chelmsford hospital.

As part of a routine check by the CQC on April 13^th, inspectors found that in nine of the patient records which were looked at, there were numerous gaps in food and fluid charts.

Some food charts had been discontinued with staff unsure why, posing a risk of a lack of information when making decisions over patient hydration and nutrition.

Patient discharge checklists also had issues of clarity whereby it was difficult to establish what plans had been made in supporting people after being discharged into the community.

Andrea Gordon, CQC’s Deputy Director of Operations in the region, said: “We will be returning to the trust to follow up on progress and, when we do, we will expect the trust to be able to demonstrate it has made improvements.”

“CQC has a range of legal powers it can use if it is found the required progress has not been made. Where necessary we will use these powers to protect the people who use this service.”

In response to the report, Chief Medical Officer at Broomfield Hospital, Dr Ronan Fenton, said: “The patients whose records were inspected by the Care Quality Commission did receive good quality care, but it was the record-keeping aspect that was in need of improvement."

With ‘extremely hard-working and dedicated staff’, Dr Fenton continued to say: “We are confident that we can demonstrate to the CQC that we are strong on these assurance disciplines as well as the many standards of care quality that have been commended by the CQC.”

Broomfield Hospital: the Chelmsford hospital has recently had a major renovation

UNISON has branded the warning from the CQC as ‘inevitable’ and a wake-up call about the impact of spending cuts. As the largest union in the CQC, they work to represent the staff at every level.

Eastern Region Regional Manner at UNISON, Margaret Lynch, said: “Government spending cuts are beginning to bite”.

“UNISON has drawn attention to the Government of the crippling impact of spending cuts – and this CQC warning should be a reminder to all politicians in charge of this government of the dangers of making cuts in hospitals.”