By Emily Parsons

Last updated at 12:09, Thursday, 07 March 2013

An unannounced inspection of Carlisle’s hospital has seen bosses praised for the improvements they have made to its A&E department.

The Cumberland Infirmary A&E department

A team from health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited the Cumberland Infirmary at the end of January. They met with patients who were using the service that day and spoke to staff.

The unannounced visit came six months after inspectors called on the trust in charge to make key charges.

The CQC raised concerns over several issues, including a dirty and cluttered utility room, poor standards of cleanliness in the treatment cubicles, dirty furniture in the children’s waiting area and a decontamination unit that was being used as a store room.

At the beginning of this month, the health watchdog published its latest findings.

Treatment cubicles were observed to have been “cleaned properly”, the company contracted to clean the hospital has had its hours increased, and clinical waste and rubbish was now being correctly stored out of the way in a utility room.

The report particularly highlighted the investment into the unit, noting replacement shelves with ‘wipe clean’ surfaces, a new opthalmology chair and new easy clean furniture.

n Meanwhile, a national health team is expected to visit Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital and the Cumberland Infirmary this month to investigate their “higher-than-expected death rates”.

A rapid review team will be supporting the North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust, which runs the hospitals, and 13 others across the countr.

The Cumbrian trust started looking into death rates last year after the Dr Foster research group revealed it was one of 12 in the country to have death rates higher than expected in two of four criteria.

First published at 12:02, Thursday, 07 March 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk