These are the latest ECHO headlines this afternoon.
Hospital's maternity services 'unsafe' for mothers and babies
The Countess of Chester Hospital Trust 's maternity care was rated "inadequate" following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February and March 2022. The CQC found the service did not have enough staff to care for women and had failed to fully implement all the national recommendations aimed at keeping women and babies safe.
The trust, which runs the 600-bed Countess of Chester Hospital and the 64-bed Ellesmere Port Hospital, also received an "inadequate" rating for leadership, after concerns were raised about the quality of care being delivered in four core areas, those being maternity, urgent and emergency services, surgery and medical care.
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The CQC'S unannounced inspection led to an overall rating of "requires improvement", meaning the trust had failed to better its previous rating from 2018. The independent regulator said it found standards of patient care continued to be below those which people had a right to expect.
The Countess of Chester Hospital Trust has more than 5,100 staff and provides a range of health services to nearly half a million people per year across Western Cheshire, Ellesmere Port, Neston and North Wales. The deterioration in the the quality of maternity services and the effective leadership means that two warning notices have now been served, requiring the trust to make urgent improvements in these areas.
For more details read the full story here.
Man with £1,000 of heroin in JD bag said it's for 'personal use'
A dealer caught with more than £1,000 worth of heroin claimed it was for personal use.
Conor Bassnett, of Southwood Road, Aigburth, was carrying a JD sports bag with 93 wraps of heroin, worth an estimated value of £1120. The 27-year-old had been shopping at Birchwood shopping centre, in Warrington, at 1.40pm on Friday, June 4, when he was detained for an unrelated matter.
After being held for the unrelated matter, that he was not charged for, police searched him and the drugs were found. Bassnett pleaded not guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin, saying that the drugs were for his own personal use.
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However a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found him guilty after a two-day trial. He was sentenced on Friday, June 19, to five years and six months imprisonment.
Detective Sergeant Tom Hall, of Warrington’s proactive team, said: "Unfortunately Bassnett is well known to police officers in Warrington due to his prolific offending.
"On this occasion he was found to clearly be involved in the supply of Class A drugs despite his claim the heroin was for his own personal use. Thankfully the jury could see this was a lie and he is now beginning his sentence in prison away from the streets of Warrington."
For more details read the full story here.
School evacuated and police helicopter sent out after hoax call
A school was evacuated after a hoax call was made to police.
Merseyside police confirmed Gateacre Community Comprehensive School received a worrying phone call today, on Wednesday, June 15. As a result, staff members evacuated pupils from the main building, at around 10.50am.
Emergency services, including a police helicopter, rushed to the scene on Hedgefield Road. Officers have since said the large police presence was a precaution and no suspicious packages or devices were found.
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A spokesperson for the force said officers would remain in the area for some time, to provide reassurance to the community. Enquiries into the incident to find who is responsible for the hoax call remain ongoing. Chief Inspector Jim Wilde said: "We take all hoax calls very seriously and will be investigating the incident fully to find those responsible and bring them to justice."
Gareth Jones, Head of Gateacre School, said: "Pupils were temporarily evacuated this morning after a telephone threat was received. Merseyside Police were called and following a search have now declared the school safe."
For more details read the full story here.
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