The chief inspector of hospitals in England, Professor Sir Mike Richards, is inviting members of the public to tell his inspection panel what they think of the services provided by the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath.

The hospital received a damning report by the independent Care Quality Commission following an inspection in June.

The CQC found on some of the older people’s wards that staff did not know how much fluid vulnerable patients had consumed, a patient was left in a soiled bed for 10 minutes and staff had four different systems for recording patient information.

The CQC will return to the hospital on December 5 as part of a new wave of rigorous inspections. This will involve a significantly larger inspection team comprising clinical and other experts and trained members of the public.

As part of that the CQC wants to hear from patients and the public about their experiences at the hospital and what improvements they would like to see made and are holding listening events.

These are on Thursday December 5 at 6.30pm – one at Bath Racecourse and the other at County Hall, Trowbridge.

Sir Mike said: “The new inspections are designed to expose poor or mediocre care as well as highlighting the many hospitals providing good and excellent care.

“We know there is too much variation in quality – these new inspections will allow us to get a more detailed picture of care in hospitals than ever before.

"Of course we will be talking to doctors and nurses, hospital managers and patients in the hospital. But it is vital that we also hear the views of the people who have had care at the Royal United Hospital, or anyone who wants to share information with us.”

People who wish to attend the event are asked to fill in a form at www.cqclisteningevents.org.uk or call 03000 616161. This will help with planning, but anyone can turn up even if not registered.

Alternatively, email views to enquiries@cqc.org.uk