Warwick Hospital is placed in the middle band for safety

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust has been given a band three in the ratings by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Bands one and two are classed as high risk trusts, while bands five and six are lowest risk.

The inspections flagged up six risks to care against a list of a possible 157 risks – and they included what the CQC calls an elevated risk of venous thromboembolisms (blood clots) for those spending long periods in bed.

However, the trust said the rating is based on old data and current information shows staff have completed 95.2 per cent of assessments and it would not now be an elevated risk.

The trust will also seek to clarify why it was given an elevated risk for whistle-blowing alerts as bosses said they “actively promote the whistle-blowing policy” to ensure staff with concerns about patient care or bullying are aware of how to raise them.

The CQC also gave an at risk category because the trust narrowly missed its A&E targets during an inspection by Monitor, the official body which checks on care and time spent in A&E, but the trust said with planned improvements it expects its rating to return to a normal level at the next inspection.

The hospital also got at risk categories for the potential under-reporting of patient-safety incidents and what are called never-event incidents (the wrong practice carried out).

An at risk category was also given for referral to treatment for in-patients, where the trust’s target for referral within 18 weeks was 90 per cent, but it reached 89.8 per cent.

The trust said this was down to increased emergency demand for beds and delays in the implementation of continuing community care which would enable people to leave hospital sooner.