The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is taking University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust to court after a young patient fled from the children’s ward at Worthing Hospital.
Alleged Safety Failures Spark Legal Action
The watchdog claims the trust broke the Health and Social Care Act 2008 by failing to prevent “avoidable harm” during the 2022 incident.
The case is set for Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Monday 27th October.
Trust under Mounting Pressure
University Hospitals Sussex runs multiple hospitals across the county and has come under intense scrutiny. Recent probes include an independent look into its workplace culture and a government investigation into maternity services.
The CQC stressed it “takes failures in patient safety extremely seriously” and won’t hesitate to act to protect the public.
The trust has yet to respond to the charges.
