10.11.17
CQC: ‘Still much to do’ to get largest trust in country out of special measures
Barts Health NHS Trust has received an overall rating of Requires Improvement following its latest inspection by the CQC.
The rating, which came after a recent core service inspection, is an improvement on the east London trust’s previous rating of Inadequate.
The inspection was designed to establish whether the trust required the continued application of special measures.
The trust, which is the largest in the country, was placed in special measures in 2015.
Prior to the inspection, the commission risk-assessed services using national and local data and intelligence from a number of sources.
It re-inspected the core services that had received a rating of Inadequate to evaluate whether significant improvements had been made since the previous inspection.
Whipps Cross University Hospital received an overall rating of Requires Improvement, with caring rated as Good.
The Royal London Hospital also received an overall rating of Requires Improvement.
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital was rated Good for all of its core services, and was rated as Outstanding for being well-led and for its surgery and critical care services.
The maternity services at Newham University Hospital continue to Require Improvement, and although there were some improvements in medical care and surgery, the site received an overall rating of Requires Improvement.
Despite the improvements, the trust will stay in special measures.
In its 2015 inspection, the trust was rated as Inadequate for the well-led domain, which has improved to Requires Improvement.
The CQC found that time and resources had been invested into improving the leadership and governance structures, risk management, and culture, with better staff engagement than previously. However, despite having made “significant progress” the commission said that many of these changes “remain in their infancy and are not fully embedded.”
Chief inspector of hospitals, Ted Baker, said: “We were particularly encouraged by the improvements that have been made by the trust since our inspections of 2016. Our overall rating for the trust has improved from Inadequate to Requires Improvement.”
“However, while surgery at Whipps Cross University Hospital remains rated as Inadequate, we were encouraged by the improvements seen in a number of areas, these included: improvements in a number of the core services we inspected; improvements in governance framework of the organisation and the embedding of the site based leadership.”
“There is still much to do but the trust is improving and this reflects the hard work by the leadership and the staff addressing the problems we have found.”
Alwen Williams, chief executive at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “It is extremely heartening to hear that we are doing the right things, and to have the tremendous efforts and achievements of our talented staff recognised by the care regulator in this way.
“We still have a lot to do, to ensure governance is managed consistently, and service improvements are achieved across all sites.
“But there is now no doubt that we are getting better, and capable of making further progress on behalf of our patients.”
Top image: Jennifer Cockerell-PA Archive-Press Association Image
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