Cornwall hospital trust warned after 'never events'

A hospital has been warned by the care regulator to make sure surgical "never events" stop occurring.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) to improve its safety record after an inspection in December.

A never event is a "serious patient safety incident which is entirely preventable and should not happen".

There were seven between February and October and RCHT apologised to patients for "shortcomings in their care".

The never events happened across the trust's three sites - the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, St Michael's Hospital in Hayle and West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance - with six occurring in surgical care and one in the emergency department.

One man had a wire left in his arm for three months after a heart procedure.

David Fortes, 75, was left in "horrific" pain after surgery to insert a stent in April.

After the inspection, the CQC issued a warning notice that required the trust to make significant improvements to the quality of healthcare it provides as well as explaining how it will achieve it.

RCHT chief executive Kate Shields said the trust was working hard and making improvements, with extra training for staff to be able to spot potential problems.

"Culturally we have already come a long way, with staff who are confident to speak up when things go wrong so that we can learn and improve.

"Together we are determined to make our hospitals among the safest in the country."

The CQC said it recognises the "additional pressures that staff are under as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic", but described never events as "extremely serious".

"We will continue to monitor the trust closely to ensure that it has taken appropriate action to address these issues and that improvements are made and fully embedded," it added.