England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals is inviting members of the public to tell his inspection panel what they think of their local health services.
Their views and experiences will help inspectors decide what to look at when they inspect the trust. That information will be used to guide future inspections.
The trust is being inspected and given an overall rating under radical changes introduced by the Care Quality Commission and it will be given an overall rating as a result of the inspection. The formal inspection of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Addenbrooke's Hospital) will start on 21 April 2015.
The inspection teams are made up of CQC inspectors as well as clinical and other experts, including trained members of the public.
To ensure the views of patients and the local community are properly heard, inspectors will be at a listening event on Tuesday, 21 April, from 6pm until 7.30pm, at the following venue:
People are being encouraged to attend the listening events to tell the team about their experiences of care from the past year and to say where they would like to see improvements made in the future as well as find out more about the inspection.
Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Prof. Sir Mike Richards said: "Our inspections are designed to provide people with a clear picture of the quality of the services in their local hospital, exposing 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 in-depth inspections allow us to get a much more detailed picture of care in hospitals than ever before.
"Of course we will be talking to doctors and nurses, hospital managers and patients at the trust. But it is vital that we also hear the views of the people who have received care at the trust, or anyone who wants to share information with us. This will help us plan our inspection, and so help us focus on the things that really matter to people who depend on this service.
“This is your opportunity to tell the team what you think, and make a difference to the NHS services in the local area.”
Sir Mike's inspection team is expected to look in detail at eight key service areas: A&E; medical care (including frail elderly); surgery; intensive/critical care; maternity; paediatrics/children’s care; end of life care; and outpatients.
A full report of the inspectors’ findings from the trust inspection will be published by the Care Quality Commission later in the year. The trust will be given one of the following ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate.
For media enquiries, contact regional engagement officer, Helen Gildersleeve, on 0191 2333379. CQC’s press office can also be reached on 020 7448 9401.
For general enquiries, call 03000 616161.
It's vital that we also hear the views of the people who have received care at the trust, or anyone who wants to share information with us.
Prof. Sir Mike Richards, Chief Inspector of Hospitals