The NHS Trust which runs the two major hospitals serving Mid-Wales says it has taken 'immediate action' to address areas of concern raised by a Care Quality Commission(CQC) inspection report.

However the Care Quality Commission says it remains concerned over services in maternity and emergency units at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust's two hospitals in Shropshire.

An unannounced inspection conducted in August this year identified issues with the trust’s reduced foetal movements guidelines in it's maternity departments, while the inspection of the urgent and emergency units also led to concerns over the treatment and recognition of sepsis.

As a result of the inspection, the trust now has to report weekly to the CQC regarding remedial action taken at trust's Princess Royal(Telford) and Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals.

A statement from directors at the trust said they were "addressing all the areas raised by the CQC."

Deirdre Fowler, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Quality at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “We meet national guidelines in our maternity unit and conduct twice daily consultant led ward rounds. We have now provided the CQC with the records that show this.

"Midwives in Shropshire’s Midwifery Led Units (MLU) have in the past used CTG to monitor fetal movements and where there has been any cause for concern referred a mother to an obstetrician in the maternity unit in Princess Royal Hospital (PRH).

"In regards to the reviewing of CTG fetal monitoring by midwives in the MLUs, the Trust has now changed its approach and all women are now monitored in PRH Obstetric Unit. It is very important that mothers who are concerned about their baby’s movements contact the Trust or their midwife to be reviewed."

Conditions placed on the trust also state that they must ensure its emergency department at The Princess Royal Hospital is safe with equipment stored safely, that risk assessments are carried out and reviewed to ensure the environment remains safe and that all staff are aware of and adhere to protocols.

"We have implemented an action plan that focuses on the areas highlighted by the CQC, including the effective monitoring of patients that may be at risk of sepsis. We have also introduced daily safety huddles and senior clinically-led two hourly sweeps of the department; as well as spot checks overnight and out of hours," added Dr Edwin Borman, Medical Director.

"The practice of ‘boarding’ patients in our acute wards – in effect finding space on wards to accommodate patients during periods of high demand - is not in place, and we are working really hard to ensure that this does not re-occur.

"We absolutely strive to do our best for each and every one of our patients, but we know that we need to do even better. Our focus has always been on providing outstanding care, and that is true now more than ever.”

In a statement released by the Care Quality Commision earlier this week, Professor Ted Baker, Chief Inspector of Hospitals, said the commission remains "very concerned" and had imposed "urgent conditions" on the trust.

"We remain very concerned about the emergency department and maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust as a result of our inspections," he said.

"This is why we have imposed urgent conditions on the trust’s registration to safeguard patients. The conditions require the trust to report to CQC on a weekly basis detailing the action it is taking to ensure the safety of patients using its emergency and maternity services, through its systems and audits.

"We are monitoring the trust extremely closely and continue to work with NHS Improvement to ensure patient safety improves. We will return to check on whether sufficient improvements have been made and will take further action if needed."

The CQC say the full findings of their inspections at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust will be published shortly. The trust is currently rated as 'Requires Improvement' overall.