A SYSTEMATIC independent review of out of hours hospital care in Wales is needed, the Public Services Ombudsman has said.

A new report has called for an review of out of hours hospital care following a number of cases investigated by the Ombudsman over the past five years which showed inadequate standards of care given to patients in hospitals across Wales outside of ‘normal’ working hours.

In addition to a review, the 'Out of Hours: Time to Care' report highlights other areas for further consideration including better supervision of junior staff, prioritisation of inpatient care and improved handovers.

The report is based on 12 case studies which demonstrate “significant clinical failings” during out of hours provision.

Themes arising from the cases include:

• Inadequate consultant cover across seven days

• Delays in medical review and lack of consultant review

• Lack of senior supervision for junior medical staff

• Failure to meet pre-existing standards of care and established guidelines.

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Nick Bennett, said: “While the cases highlighted in our report are not necessarily typical of the majority of hospital admissions in Wales, they do not appear to be isolated incidents and an independent systemic review would confirm any emerging patterns or inconsistencies in quality of care.

“I’m hopeful that lessons can be learnt from this report and that ultimately this will result in better public services in Wales and a reduction in complaints.

“A recent OECD report on the NHS in Wales emphasised the importance of patient voice and I think it’s imperative we highlight the experiences of service-users to ensure mistakes are not repeated.”

Welsh Conservatives say the findings underscore the need for an independent Keogh-style inquiry into broader Welsh NHS standards.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, Darren Millar AM, said: “We fully support the Ombudsman’s recommendation for an investigation into out-of-hours care, but we also believe that these findings underscore the need for a wider Keogh-style review of the whole Welsh NHS.

“Despite the hard work of frontline staff, clear issues have been highlighted within Labour’s NHS in recent years and an independent inquiry would leave no stone unturned in identifying areas of concern and ways to improve patient care.

“No matter how many times Labour Ministers deny that there are problems, it is clear that there is an on-going crisis in GP recruitment and out-of-hours care which is leading to patients coming to harm – as evidenced by this report.

“In May voters will have an opportunity to put the Welsh NHS on a new path towards improved standards of care by electing a Welsh Conservative Government, and we will make no apologies for putting standards of NHS care at the very top of the agenda.”

Plaid Cymru Shadow Health Minister Elin Jones said: "It is a damning indictment of the Labour government’s failure to plan and manage the health service properly.

"Plaid Cymru’s focus is on increasing capacity in the health service; driving up the number of staff and driving down waiting times. We want to train and recruit an extra 1,000 doctors and 5,000 nurses to the Welsh NHS, and we supported recent legislation aimed at providing safe staffing levels for the NHS. Currently, NHS staff are being put under incredible pressure because of the government’s failure to plan services properly. Plaid Cymru will give doctors and nurses the support they deserve.”