DORSET County Hospital has claimed it has addressed concerns raised by an inspection report.

A report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this year highlighted three areas where the Dorchester hospital needed to make improvements.

Concerns were raised around the hospital’s management of medicines and handling of medical records, as well as its assessment and monitoring of the quality of service provision.

In the other five major areas covered by the report, the hospital was found to be meeting standards.

The report, which was published earlier this year following an inspection last November, claims that while most medicines were stored securely inspectors found intravenous fluids stored in an unlocked cupboard on one ward.

They also state that they saw a medicine trolley left open, unlocked and unattended whilst a nurse was administering medication on rounds.

The inspectors also stated: “We found some patient records were not well-maintained and some did not contain accurate or appropriate information.”

While one of the areas where the hospital was found to be meeting standards was in the category for care and welfare of service users, the section covering it in the report revealed concerns were raised by staff who spoke to inspectors about a shortage of nursing staff.

It states: “Many staff in all the wards we visited told us that there were not enough nursing staff.

“When asked what they were not able to do as a result of this we were told that often observations were not done on time and medications were given late. “Staff also told us they were unable to spend as much time with patients as they would like.”

A spokesman for Dorset County Hospital said: “Overall the report shows that we are providing a high standard of care and treatment for our patients, which is a credit to our hard working staff.

“The CQC had some concerns around the management of medicines, assessing and monitoring quality of services and medical records, and an action plan was developed to ensure all of these areas are fully addressed.”

The hospital also stated that it keeps in contact with the CQC and it is satisfied with the actions it has taken.