08.03.17
North London trust taken out of special measures after three years
One of England’s major acute trusts is to be taken out of special measures after a CQC inspection undertaken in September and October 2016 reported “sustained and substantial” improvement in care practises.
The trust in question, Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust in north east London, had been in special measures for three years. But following an inspection it was found that it had improved care in four core services which had previously been rated inadequate, including urgent and emergency services, medical care, services for children and young people and outpatients and diagnostic imaging.
Earlier this year it was revealed that sustainability and transformation funding for the trust was at risk after it was found to not be reaching its targets in cancer patient waiting times.
This news shows that major steps forward have been taken after it was reported in 2015 that Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust had cost the NHS more money in clinical mistakes than any other trust in the country, paying out £80m in payments.
The report noted that clinical leadership had also improved from the inspection in March 2015 which found that though improvements were being made by a new executive team, there was still a lot of work needed for the trust to provide adequate and safe care for its patients.
Speaking of the trust coming out of special measures, Prof Sir Mike Richards, England’s chief inspector of hospitals, said: “I am pleased to say that our latest inspection demonstrated that the trust has continued to make progress; to provide safer, better quality care.
“We found that the senior leadership was visible and involved in clinical activity. The staff were positive about the changes, their environment, and the future direction of the trust and the services.
Prof Richards also added that: “The inspection team was impressed by a number of innovative quality improvement and research projects which have taken place to improve the patient experience.
“While further improvements are necessary, we are confident that both leadership and staff know what needs to be done to continue towards achieving an improved rating.”
NHS Improvement were also vocal in congratulating the improvement being displayed by the previously failing trust.
NHSI medical director Dr Kathy McLean said: “Staff should be immensely proud of this news. Exiting special measures is a significant achievement and reflects a better experience for patients. It is the result of extremely hard work by everyone from ward staff, clinicians, admin and support teams, and the trust’s leadership team.
“We’ve been clear there is much work still to do, but patients should be confident that the trust has a robust base on which to build, as it moves towards realising its ambition of becoming an outstanding hospital trust.”
The trust’s CEO, Matthew Hopkins, added that he has always believed in the “huge desire and passion of our staff to deliver outstanding care to this community”.
“It is evident to me every single day in our hospitals, so I am delighted it was clearly evident to the CQC team too, as this very positive report shows,” he said, adding: “While this inspection only focused on four services, the picture it paints reflects progress across the trust: ensuring patients are at the centre of everything we do. It’s a proud day for everyone involved with the trust.”
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