To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of patient care at Wotton Lawn Hospital.
Answered on
19 June 2023
The Department has not made any such assessments as these are matters for the Care Quality Commission. However, NHS England has advised that the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust adheres to national safe staffing levels, which requires the use of agency and bank nursing staff at times. Significant progress has been made on recruiting into vacant mental health roles and the Trust has reduced its vacancies in inpatient wards by 50 per cent. Under current recruitment plans, Wotton Lawn Hospital is due to be fully staffed by the autumn. This will reduce the reliance upon agency staff and provide more stability.
The Trust’s Board has a robust system of checks and balances in place, which includes oversight by its quality committee and ultimately, the Board itself. The Trust is also monitored by its commissioning body – NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) – as well as NHS England in the South West. Any incidents involving patient harm are fully investigated and reported on according to national protocols. Work is also taking place to further improve security at the hospital, following recent concerns.
The ICB is planning to lead a rapid quality review into the issues raised in recent media coverage. This review will provide assurance to both the ICB and the Trust Board in terms of the quality and safety of the services provided by the hospital.