Watchdog warns Guy’s Hospital over failings at at dialysis unit

A team of inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited the Astley Cooper Unit at Guy's Hospital on 26 March in response to concerns raised by patients.

"On the day of our inspection we found a culture of complacency that accepted poor nursing care practices and suggested a lack of pride in the unit," said Helen Rawlings, the CQC's head of hospital inspection for London.

"There was also in certain areas, disrespect for patients and a degree of unfairness when it came to carrying out treatment.

"We are aware that the trust has taken action to address our most urgent concerns over hygiene and infection control.

"We will continue to monitor this service closely and return in the future to check on the trust's progress and these improvements have been embedded."

The inspectors' report was published this week and includes 12 action points for improvement.

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our staff are committed to providing safe, high-quality care to our patients and delivering a service of which we can all be proud.

"On this occasion, we have clearly fallen short of the high standards that we set for ourselves and our patients.

"We are absolutely determined to get it right, and have already put an action plan in place which we are now delivering – including a system of daily checks for equipment, hygiene and patient care.

"As part of this, we will continue to talk to our patients about how we can provide them with the best possible care every day."

Guy's and St Thomas' retains an overall 'good' rating from the CQC.