STAFFING at Andover’s hospital remains an area of concern after it was found that there were not always enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet patients’ needs.

Staff levels remain an area of concern for management following an investigation by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The national regulatory body undertook an inspection of Royal Hampshire County Hospital Trust and found that all three of its hospitals met standards for patient care and cleanliness.

An inspection of the Winchester-based trust, which also runs Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Andover War Memorial Hospital, was found to meet all three standards required by the CQC.

Action is needed in only one area relating to staffing at all of the hospitals, considered a minor grievance, adding that there were not always times when there was enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet patients’ needs.

Chief nurse Donna Green said the trust was employing more staff.

“The CQC’s inspection of Royal Hampshire County Hospital Trust shows that we are meeting the standards for care and cleanliness and this is thanks to the hard work and commitment of our staff.

“It is good to see that the CQC particularly noted the quality of care we provide for those in our elderly care wards where we have additional staffing to help at mealtimes and with personal care and where the lead ward nurse is a trained dementia care champion.

“We recognise the CQC noted a minor concern on staffing numbers and are working hard to increase the numbers of nurses on wards.

“Our recruitment campaign is already underway and we are working hard to attract more nurses.

“Overall I’m pleased that this CQC report recognises our commitment to care and cleanliness in our hospitals, but we’re never complacent – care, cleanliness and staffing numbers will continue to be top priorities,” she said.

The CQC carried out spot-check reviews of compliance in all areas of health and safety including the care and welfare of people who use the services, the cleanliness of the hospital, standard of infection control and the monitoring of service provision in January 2013.

The inspection included talking to staff, patients and family members about the services.