02.08.18
London trust on upwards journey, but urgent improvement still needed
After receiving its third ‘requires improvement’ CQC rating in three years, a major London NHS trust has finally demonstrated that it is on the path towards improvement – but there is still much work to be done.
During an unannounced focused inspection at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust in response to concerns from patients, the CQC look a closer look at two hospitals to investigate concerns relating to medicine and surgery.
While the overall rating remains ‘requires improvement,’ the CQC did identify some progress. For example, medical patients on surgical wards now have dedicated staff providing appropriate treatment, and nurses and allied health professionals are treating everyone with kindness.
Discharge planning was also working “reasonably well,” but staff are having to manage more complex arrangements – an issue the trust is currently working to fix.
Despite the positive findings, which suggest that the trust could be on an upwards journey, the inspection did show that there was a “significant shortage” of nursing staff at both hospitals. Patient relatives felt nurses were too busy to talk to them, whilst nurses themselves felt they didn’t have enough time to spend with patients.
Prof Ted Baker, the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, said he was pleased with the evidence that the trust is working towards addressing the concerns raised by patients and their relatives.
“I hope to see further improvements when we next inspect the trust,” he added.
The trust must now take action to ensure that enough numbers of “suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced” people are deployed.
Angela Helleur, the provider’s chief nurse, acknowledged the challenges they face in some areas where staff shortages lead to agency staff spending, but said the trust is “working address to address this” through targeted recruitment.
Steve Russell, NHS Improvement’s executive regional managing director for London, added that while there are still challenges, the regulator is “confident that the staff and new leadership team are working hard to drive further improvements.”