Why it matters: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Ipswich Hospital last September and issued a warning notice over patient safety concerns, lowering its rating for medical care from good to requires improvement. Patients were found to have waited up to 20 hours to be treated or admitted to medical wards.
What Abbott is doing: Abbott says he has been in regular contact with Health Secretary Wes Streeting and his team about the situation at the hospital. He has now met Streeting directly and secured a commitment that the Department of Health will urgently look into the current situation.
Abbott has also met the interim chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs the hospital, describing it as "an honest conversation about the challenges facing the hospital."
What they're saying: "I want local residents to have the best possible care and, although staff are working incredibly hard, it is clear improvements must be made, and made quickly," Abbott said.
The ESNEFT interim chief executive was confident the hospital will be able to address the areas of concern over the coming months and that "it will be in a better place by the end of year," according to Abbott.
What the CQC found: Inspectors found staff were unable to triage everyone arriving at the emergency department within their 15-minute goal, with some patients waiting up to 20 hours to be treated or admitted. A shortage of staff on medical wards, care records missing key details, and difficulties discharging patients ready to leave were among the concerns identified.
CQC deputy director Carolyn Jenkinson said staff were "kind and working hard to meet people's needs under high pressure, but weren't always able to do so safely."
What's next: Abbott says he will continue working "at a local and national level" to ensure public services are there when people need them. The CQC has said it will closely monitor the hospital's services to ensure improvements are made.
