A HOSPITAL boss says she would be happy to receive care at a Worcester hospital herself despite a damning inspection report which highlights major failings in care.

The section 29A warning notice from the independent regulator the Care Quality Commission makes grim reading, warning of further action against Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust unless they are able to get their house in order by March 10.

Caragh Merrick, the trust chairman, admitted she was 'shocked and disappointed' with the regulator's findings.

The trust, already in special measures, must improve significantly or further action will be taken against it, including a special administrator being brought in.

However Ms Merrick said she was 'determined' that the requirements of the CQC would be met within the deadline.

The trust has yet find out when they will receive a £29 million cash injection from the Government to help them address capacity issues within the hospitals managed by the trust, including Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Ms Merrick said it was important for the trust to recognise its failings and that was why they had taken the decision to publish the CQC report themselves early.

She said: "It was important to demonstrate this was a fresh start for the trust."

Ms Merrick blamed part of the problems on a period of changing and temporary executive leadership.

She said: "When you're only here six months what is your incentive to tackle difficult issues?"

One of the challenges identified is finding a long term solution to the pressures of elderly and frail patients, stressing that it must be 'a compassionate answer'.

The need for improved discharge planning has been highlighted as this creates pressure on A&E when patients who need to be admitted cannot be found a bed.

Ms Merrick, who has visited A&E at Worcester half a dozen times in the last few months, said staff must be involved in any solution and that they must feel empowered.

"What impressed me was their overwhelming commitment to patient safety. The staff hate that the patients are in trolleys in corridors, are really offended when they did their damnedest to make sure those patients were safe."

Despite the pressures she said of Worcester hospital: "I would be happy to be treated there myself.

"I trust the staff here. I have seen how hard they work and how committed they are."

Ms Merrick has also been in close contact with the incoming chief executive, Michelle McKay, who will join the trust on March 27.

She told Ms Merrick she wished she could begin early to help and has described the problems at the trust as 'eminently fixable'.

However, Ms Merrick said that while she had 'great confidence' in the new chief executive she 'does not walk on water' and everyone has a responsibility help the trust improve, including the wider health and social care economy.

Announced inspection visits took place between November 22 and 25. Concerns raised by the CQC in this meeting were confirmed in writing in a letter sent to the trust on December 1.

Unannounced inspection visits took place on December 7, 8 and 15.

Professor Sir Mike Richards wrote to NHS Improvement and NHS England requesting they arrange a risk summit, which took place on December 22.

Pressures were so great gynaecology patients were cared for on the antenatal ward, chestnut ward (a surgical maxillofacial ward) or any available bed in the hospital. This meant that women could be having a miscarriage in a bay on a mixed sex ward.

The report said: "We observed patients receiving care on trolleys with no space in between them, which meant that confidential conversations could be overheard by other patients and visitors during clinical assessments.

"Although privacy screens were available, staff informed us that if they were used other trolleys would not be able to pass due to the narrow corridor."

The trust's waiting time target for A&E states patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours in 95 per cent of cases.

This was missed in August (83.5 per cent), September (82.2 per cent), October (80.9 per cent), and November (78.9 per cent). Between December 19 and January 12 this slipped again to 73.2 per cent.

Occasions where a patient is waiting on a trolley for more than 12 hours after a decision has been made to admit them are increasing with 38 breaches recorded in November, 86 in December and 113 in the first two weeks of January 2017.

Key findings of the Care Quality Inspection (section 29A warning notice).

* Lack of planning particularly with regard to capacity and overcrowding in A&E at Worcester.

* Poor record keeping and patient risk assessment. Dementia assessments not carried out for four out of five patients in a sample.

* No room in A&E at Worcester to treat patients with mental health conditions.

* Equipment lacking including resuscitation trolley at Worcester's theatre assessment unit.

Patients placed at risk of avoidable harm from using equipment that had not been serviced, maintained tested or calibrated.

* Patients on trolleys with no space between them. Confidential conversations could be overheard. Patients observed to be 'distressed and confused'.

* No effective procedures to ensure children being admitted were on child protection risk register.

* Poor adherence to infection prevention and control including lack of handwashing. Doctors arms not always 'bare below the elbow'.

* Critical medication not always administered at the correct time. Unsafe storage of medication. Poor monitoring of medication.

* Untrained staff left alone with patients while trained staff took meal breaks at Worcester.

* Paediatric patients within the emergency department at Worcestershire Royal Hospital were left for periods of time with no staff available.

* Insufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced consultants were deployed.