THE NHS Trust which runs a hospital where patients were photographed sleeping on floors is getting better but still needs to improve, according to health watchdogs.

This week, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published findings from its latest checks to see if The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust – responsible for Pinderfields and Dewsbury hospitals – had improved after it was warned last June there were concerns about its medical services.

CQC inspectors reported at the time there was a lack of suitably-qualified and skilled staff and were worried about the number of extra capacity beds being used.

However, inspectors revisiting the trust have since found the use of extra capacity beds had significantly reduced and that staffing levels had gone up, with plans to recruit more.

Earlier this month, Spen MP Tracy Brabin had released shocking photos showing patients lying on floors at Pinderfields Hospital over Christmas as they waited to be treated, but the trust told the T&A the patients in the photos “may have chosen to lie down, as seats were provided.”.

Ms Brabin said she had been “inundated” with constituents telling her their difficulties of being treated and told the T&A: “While we know staff are working flat out it is deeply troubling to hear Jeremy Hunt say that no patient is left on a trolley when clearly some are forced to wait on hospital floors before being treated.

Speaking after this week’s CQC findings were released, Sandra Sutton, CQC Interim Head of Hospital Inspections for the North East and Cumbria said: “There has been no reassessment of the trust’s rating which remains as Requires Improvement. However, we will continue to work with the trust to ensure that the service continues to improve.”

Martin Barkley, Chief Executive, at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The CQC’s findings from their re-inspection, clearly show the improvements we have made since June last year have begun to make a difference, in particular the improvements to staff fill rates and the number of falls incidents across the trust.

“The tangible improvements recognised by the CQC are the result of our thousands of dedicated and hardworking staff who have together driven improvements for our patients.

“The CQC rightly highlight the on-going challenges we face and the further improvement we still need to make in retaining and recruiting more staff.”