A CHILDREN’S emergency department at Southend Hospital has come under fire after it emerged it is not always open.

Inspectors found the children’s emergency department is not open 24/7, meaning sick children are having to wait in an adult area.

Worryingly, the Care Quality Commission also found observations on children were not always done within the recommended 15 minutes while A&E patients are not always triaged within national standards.

The commission has highlighted the problems following an interim inspection in November.

Inspectors also recorded an “offensive sewage smell” in the ophthalmology department, which they also found to be “very cramped”.

The hospital “required improvement” following an inspection in 2018.

The commission outlined the main points of its latest inspection in a letter to the trust ahead of the publication of a full report.

However, some areas were praised by the commission.

These included dementia care and a good bereavement service. Managers were said to support each other well.

Inspectors also said: “The community midwives are providing good support to homeless pregnant women. Mothers received good support when their babies had to be transferred out to another hospital.”

Yvonne Blucher, managing director at Southend Hospital said: “The Care Quality Commission provided verbal feedback after their inspection at Southend Hospital in November, and we addressed the issues they raised at the time.

“The commission also confirmed this feedback in a letter, which board members discussed to gain assurance that immediate issues had been resolved.

“We were pleased that the Care Quality Commission noted that our staff were friendly and welcoming during the inspection, at a busy time of year.

“We look forward to receiving the Care Quality Commission draft report and continue our peer-inspections to ensure we maintain high standards.”