Patients have been left in pain while others have faced delays receiving critical medication amid chronic staff shortages at a major NHS trust, The Independent can reveal.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a warning to the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) Foundation Trust over its surgical services at Salford Royal Hospital, after it found patients left in pain and wards where urine bottles were allowed to “stack up”.
Multiple sources have told The Independent that frontline staff have raised concerns to leaders about the situation, but feel “abandoned” by trust executives.
The CQC visited the trust’s surgical services at the end of September and has since sent an official Section 29A warning notice, meaning if the trust does not make improvements by February 2026 the watchdog could take further action. This could include recommending that it be taken over by another body, called “special administration.”
The Independent understands the notice warns the trust repeatedly over short-staffing, with hundreds of instances of nurses being shifted between wards to plug the gaps. This has raised concerns over the department's ability to care for patients, with claims that staffing levels were unsafe.
According to multiple sources, failure to give patients pain relief is repeatedly cited in the letter as a major concern. Inspectors found evidence of this from staff, patients, and a trust audit showing that pain relief on one ward was not routinely offered.
In one incident cited in the CQC’s warning, a patient with significant chest injuries was brought onto the surgical ward and did not receive pain relief for hours. He was later found dead. The trust confirmed that an investigation into this patient’s death is ongoing.
Another patient experienced a delay in getting antibiotics and other time-critical medication.
One clinician warned that the trust was heading for a “Mid Staffordshire” style scandal, claiming patient safety is coming second to finances.
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A public inquiry report into the former Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, published in 2013, found hundreds of patients had faced "appalling and unnecessary suffering" due to an "insidious negative culture" which had been driven by the trust’s focus on hitting national targets and cost control.
Inspectors also warned NCA over delays to patient pain relief, delays in patients receiving vital IV medication, and staff feeling “burnt out and overwhelmed.”
A senior clinician told The Independent there is a “disconnect” between the leaders and frontline staff, who feel “abandoned”.
The last CQC inspection took place in 2022, when it downgraded the trust’s rating from Outstanding to Requires Improvement.
Hospital leaders across the country are facing strict financial and operational targets from the government, with NHS trusts forced to freeze recruitment to save money.
Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust is based in Greater Manchester and covers a population of 1 million across its four hospitals: Salford Royal, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, and Rochdale Infirmary.
The news about NCA comes following an exposé last year by The Independent, which revealed the story of Martin Wild, an elderly man who was left on a ward in agonising pain, forced to call 999 from his hospital bed as he was so desperate to get help. Mr Wild’s buzzer was turned off by ward staff.
Dr Glyn Smurthwaite, a former consultant spinal anaesthetist at NCA, raised concerns about Mr Wild’s care while he was working there.
Dr Smurthwaite, who left the trust in 2023, told The Independent: “The staffing numbers were so depleted [during Mr Wild’s stay]...they must have been bombarded with work. It was heading for a Mid Staffordshire [scandal].”
NCA chief nursing officer, Juliette Cosgrove, said: “We’ve taken the CQC’s feedback extremely seriously and responded immediately to the issues they raised with us at the time. This included responding to their concern around surgical ward staffing levels and making sure these were at a safe level.
“Across the NCA, we have well-established processes to help wards meet safe staffing levels, for example, redeploying colleagues from another area or using the services of bank staff.
“This year, we have recruited 175 newly qualified nurses, and our nursing vacancies are currently low. We will keep a continued focus on strengthening our workforce with caring and skilled professionals.”
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