THE Royal College of Nursing has responded to the damning Care Quality Commission report into Great Western Hospital’s cleanliness and staffing levels.

The Adver broke the news of the report on Wednesday.

And responding to the publication, Jeannett Martin, the regional director for the RCN south west region said: “The Care Quality Commission has identified some failings at the Great Western Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust which will be of concern to members of the RCN and to the population that the trust serves.

“The trust has already started to implement plans for improvement and they are committed to undertake any further work that will be needed.

“RCN research clearly shows the importance of ensuring that nursing staffing levels are right.

“Staffing levels at the trust have been identified as an area requiring improvement and it will be extremely important for the trust to rectify the situation.”

Julie Connolly, the regional officer for Dorset and Wiltshire said: “We have a positive relationship with the trust and they are telling us that they are committed to making the improvements needed to provide safe, quality care.

We will be keeping a close eye on the progress of the trust’s improvement plan in the coming months.

“I will be in the trust alongside our local RCN representatives to offer support to staff and to raise issues to the trust on their behalf.”