The issues which led to a health watchdog giving Bradford Royal Infirmary a formal warning must be urgently tackled by the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The snap visit by the Care Quality Commission in October saw the hospital fail in four of the six national standards of quality and safety laid down by the commission.

That led CQC Regional Director describing the issues identified at the BRI as unacceptable, and the Commission has told the Trust it must improve and comply with national standards of quality and safety.

In fairness, the Trust has recognised the issues raised, and has acted to increase staffing levels – an area raised as a concern in the CQC report. They say they were already dealing with some of the problems before the inspection, and have since improved the Accident and Emergency triage process.

The A&E ward in particular was singled out for staffing shortages and a lack of senior medical staff, notably in the early hours, and there is no doubt the pressures faced by such a busy department in a city such as Bradford play a part in this.

But regardless of these pressures, patients need to know that they will receive a certain level of care when they are admitted to hospital, whether it is as an emergency or a planned admission.

The issues relating to overcrowding and privacy and the shortage of staff in some wards and departments flagged up in this report must be tackled urgently. And it is vital for all current and prospective BRI patients and their families that all the concerns raised by this report are dealt with as quickly as possible so they can be confident that they will get the level of care they are entitled to.