Fifteen NHS trusts are in special measures including Hinchingbrooke, also in Cambridgeshire, the country’s first privately-run hospital.
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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) had previously inspected the Trust in September 2014, when Conquest Hospital at Hastings and Eastbourne District General Hospital were both rated “Inadequate”.
Sir Mike Richards, the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, said community teams were “overstretched” because there were not enough experienced nurses and it was concerned about safety in the urgent care service.
In maternity, inspectors raised “serious concerns”, including a low midwife-to-birth ratio, and noted wards were closed regularly.
Frequently used as a form of pain relief during childbirth, high levels have been linked to unconsciousness or death if there is a lack of oxygen.
In their report, the inspectors also said equipment in the maternity unit was old.
Best practice guidelines weren’t always followed.
‘The one thing that came out as really outstanding was the care delivered by our members and by all the staff at the hospital, so they can really hold their heads up and say they’ve done a good job under really trying conditions, ‘ he said.
He added: “Patients are the only reason we are here, but working within the most challenged health economy in the country makes our job more hard “.
Many patients were waiting for follow-ups, the CQC found. During the inspection, there was a backlog of 227 ophthalmology and 233 dermatology patients waiting for a call back and a total of 605 across all specialities.
The Care Quality Commission also warned of serious staffing shortages with one patient made to wait nearly a year for a routine eye operation.
Richard Sunley, Acting Chief Executive at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We are very disappointed about the shortfalls the CQC has identified”.
91 per cent of our staff would recommend CUH as a place to receive treatment, a figure which is 20 per cent higher than the national NHS acute trust average.
In addition to the two acute hospitals, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) now run Crowborough War Memorial Hospital, including the Birthing Centre.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which has more than 1,000 beds, is already under scrutiny by Monitor over its financial dealings.
Darren Grayson, former chief executive resigned in July, but chairman Stuart Welling has stayed at the trust.
“Despite these assurances, I do not feel the improvements we have seen are almost enough to put to rest the concerns of the people who use the services or local stakeholders”. Despite this, some shifts were still not filled, added the CQC’s report, which was published today.
He said he did not think there was “any sane or rational interpretation of the word ‘inadequate”‘ that would describe any aspect of the operations at Addenbrooke’s.
It has apologised to patients and vowed to take rapid action.
“We are determined to put this right as quickly as possible, to make sure our processes are robust and transparent, so every step of a patient’s journey can be effectively monitored from the ward to the Board”.
Monitor found that the Trust lacked adequate financial controls, and that it had failed to deliver necessary savings and has not submitted a credible plan to address a rapidly growing deficit – forecast to hit at least £64m this year.
That decision was later suspended while a review is undertaken into the issue.
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The trust is running up debts of £1.2million a week, partly because it is relying on expensive agency nurses and overseas recruits.
