Oldham MP calls for “culture of openness, transparency and continuous improvement” at Royal Oldham Hospital

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon

The Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton, Jim McMahon, has welcomed improvements being made at The Royal Oldham Hospital following a critical report from the Care Quality Commission.

Inspectors from the CQC carried out a surprise inspection of the Accident and Emergency Department at the hospital after concerns had been raised by staff and members of the public surrounding the safety and quality of service during the pandemic,

The five-strong inspection team found that infection risk was not always controlled and staff didn’t always maintain social distancing between patients or themselves.

Responding to the findings of the report Jim McMahon said: “"I'm pleased to see that the hospital has recognised that practices the CQC saw last year were unacceptable. Patient safety and infection control during a pandemic is absolutely vital."

"The Northern Care Alliance has told me they've already made a number of changes in the aftermath of the visit, and I'll continue to liaise with them to make sure that everyone who works at Royal Oldham Hospital and all the patients requiring urgent treatment are kept as safe as possible."

Other concerns were also found by the inspectors when they looked around the Rochdale Road site including medical procedures being carried out in the corridors, staff moving from area to area without changing their PPE and staff were also seen interacting with patients without using gloves or washing their hands.

This is something Mr McMahon says cannot happen, especially during the current pandemic: "The demanding nature of the second wave of Covid-19 and years of underfunding of our NHS means that our frontline heroes are understandably under huge amounts pressure, but we cannot compromise patient safety.”

“The only way to realise improvement is to develop a culture of openness, transparency and continuous improvement. That takes time and investment, but it is essential to serve the people of our town.”

The Royal Oldham Hospital have responded to the CQC report by saying improvements to social distancing, signage and PPE usage have already been made.

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