Inspectors warn of failings in quality and safety standards at Yorkshire hospitals

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) says it has identified a series of breaches of essential quality and safety standards at Scarborough and Bridlington hospitals.

Experts raise concerns about staffing levels, particularly of doctors and nurses in the accident and emergency (A&E) department at Scarborough, poor record-keeping by nurses and a backlog of building maintenance.

The regulator has ordered hospital chiefs to take immediate action, warning the NHS trust could face fines of up to 50,000 for each serious breach of standards.

The CQC said it had raised immediate concerns following a four-day inspection in July.

In Scarborough, inspectors found the trust was fully compliant with only one of the 16 essential standards of quality and safety, and in Bridlington in six of 16 standards.

CQC regional director Jo Dent said: "We have no evidence of people being harmed as a result of the breaches at either Scarborough or Bridlington hospitals. But we want people to be aware that the risk of receiving poor care is greater in these hospitals because standards are not being met.

"When nurses don't keep proper records on patients or when staff aren't trained to protect vulnerable people from abuse, the consequences can be serious."

Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust said a series of changes had already been made but it could not alone address problems including a maintenance backlog of more than 6m.

A spokesman said: "We have had a legacy of financial difficulties which we are still working to overcome. In addition, we have inherited an old, outdated and difficult to maintain hospital estate and due to our geographic location and demographic make-up, we also have recruitment difficulties.

"These issues are extremely complex and resolving them requires an intensive, long-term improvement programme, with significant investment."