The North Middlesex Hospital Emergency Department is rated Requires Improvement by CQC

However, inspectors found evidence that at the time of the inspection people were safe at the service and staff were focused on patients’ needs, although some patients experienced delays accessing care.

As the inspection focused on areas where issues had been identified, it was not wide-ranging enough to update ratings for the department, hospital or trust. Consequently, the department remains rated good and the hospital and trust remain rated requires improvement.

Nicola Wise, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:

“We found some patients accessing the emergency department at North Middlesex University Hospital waited too long for assessment and treatment, while others couldn’t always access the service when they needed it.

“One of the reasons for this was a lack of available beds elsewhere in the hospital where people could be referred for further care.

“We also found there were delays discharging patients from ambulances into the hospital, however there were good processes for identifying people who needed escalating through the queue.

“There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe, and there was a very open culture where people could raise issues and make suggestions for improvement.  

“We have shared our feedback with the trust about what it needs to address but are pleased to see good standards of care being provided to people overall.” 

You can read the report in full on the CQC’s website.