Chief Inspector of Hospitals publishes report on the quality of care provided by Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust rating it as ‘Requires Improvement’

England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, has published a new report on the quality of care provided by Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust.

We inspected Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust in September 2014. We rated the trust overall as ‘Inadequate’ and recommended it was put into special measures.

During the inspection, CQC highlighted serious concerns and asked the trust to make improvements. Inspectors returned on 2 January to check on progress with those improvements, particularly with a focus on A&E and medical care.

As a result of the follow-up inspection, the trust is now rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ overall.

CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said:

“When we returned to inspect Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust we found a number of improvements had been made on the Apple Tree and Juniper Wards, at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. We were pleased the trust had acted swiftly to make improvements to these wards and to safety in the emergency department. However, these changes need to be sustained and embedded.

“I am not recommending the trust comes out of special measures at this stage and our inspectors will return to check on what further improvements have been made at a later date.

“The trust is being supported by the Trust Development Authority (TDA) with regard to its programme of improvement and CQC is also in regular contact with the TDA as it continues its monitoring of the trust.

“The trust knows what it needs to do to make further improvements and ensure those already made are maintained.”

At the time of CQC’s inspection the trust was staffed with NHS workers but was being managed by private company Circle Partnership. Since CQC’s inspection, Circle Partnership has ceased its involvement with the trust and it is now managed through the NHS.

As a result of the inspection in January, the trust was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ for whether its services were safe, effective, caring and responsive overall. It was rated ‘Inadequate’ for whether it was well-led overall.

Full reports for the trust are published on this website today. 

The report which CQC publishes today is based on a combination of its inspection findings, information from CQC’s Intelligent Monitoring system, and information provided by patients, the public and other organisations.

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