30.01.19
Major hospitals trust drops to ‘requires improvement’ after CQC finds deterioration in services
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust has dropped to a ‘requires improvement’ rating after inspectors found a “deterioration in the level of service” at the trust.
The CQC’s chief inspector Ted Baker said it was concerned over the safety of the trust’s emergency services and medical care and worried about how responsive services were, particularly regarding how long it took for people to access care and treatment.
The trust was given a fairly damning review by the CQC back in 2014 with services “falling short of the standards people should be able to expect,” but in 2016 inspectors reported significant improvements and a ‘good’ overall rating driven by the leadership team.
But Mid Essex’s latest inspection carried out at the end of 2018 found a deterioration in services after a turnover in the management team “had affected its ability to sustain improvements.”
Chief executive Clare Panniker said that “this is the rating we expected” as the trust has “faced a number of challenges in recent years.”
“I’m reassured that most of the issues raised by the CQC are ones we had already identified ourselves and have started to address.”
Panniker said a new ward had been opened following the inspection, providing modern dementia-friendly facilities for elderly patients in a bid to quickly improve medical care. She also praised the several areas recognised in the report as outstanding.
The CQC’s report praised the outstanding practise witnessed in the use of robotics in surgery, the use of enhanced support workers alongside nursing staff, and the innovative use of techniques such as sensory equipment and animal handling to comfort children with a variety of different needs.
But inspectors stated that the trust must ensure a system is in place to effectively audit services to ensure patient safety, and that staff must undertake mandatory, safeguarding and mental capacity training.
Reflecting the workforce crisis facing NHS trusts across the country, Mid Essex Hospital Trust was told it must ensure there are sufficient numbers of nursing staff on all medical wards.
Panniker added: “We are determined to provide the very best standards of care for our patients, and I am confident that, with a new and committed leadership team supporting a truly caring workforce, we will deliver significant improvements to regain a ‘good’ and then ‘outstanding’ rating.”
Image credit - Sean Dempsey PA