Chief Inspector of Hospitals rates James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as Good

England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals has rated the services provided by James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as Good following inspections by the Care Quality Commission in August.

The CQC inspected the core services provided by James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for four days. The trust provides care to a population of 230,000 residents across Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Waveney.

Inspectors rated the care provided by staff to be Good regarding whether services were effective, caring, responsive and well-led and rated it Requires Improvement regarding whether services were safe.

Staff were consistently compassionate and kind towards patients and their carers. They afforded them privacy and dignity throughout their care and inspectors saw examples of staff and patients having a genuine rapport.

Families and those close to patients were kept up to date with patients’ progress and their views on care and treatment sought to further enhance the level of care given.

Patients generally had timely and appropriate access to the services that they needed. The trust had been above the 90% target for referral to treatment times of 18 weeks from April 2013 to February 2015 for all medical specialities.

There were good governance systems in place to ensure that information flowed from the wards to the board. Senior staff were experienced and knowledgeable in their areas of expertise. They had the capability and capacity to lead effectively through an open culture and staff felt well supported under their leadership.

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

“Overall, James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides good care to the population it serves. The trust can be proud of the services that it manages and we were impressed by most areas we visited.

“We found staff to be dedicated, kind, caring and patient focused. The vast majority of staff felt supported in their work, had received training and appraisals and were aware of the trust’s vision and values.

“The executive team impressed us both individually and collectively. The board was aware of where its challenges and successes lay and it actively managed any challenges and had put in place actions to mitigate these. Trust executives were well known to staff and led them through an open door policy and staff were positive about the interactions with the senior management team.

“There were some areas where improvements were needed and the trust has told us they have listened to our inspectors’ findings and we are confident that the executive team, with the support of their staff, will work to deliver the necessary improvements. We will return in due course to check on the progress that they have made.”

The reports highlight several areas of outstanding practice, including:

• Patient pathways for GP referrals resulted in 97% of patients not requiring services of the emergency department.
• State of the art equipment for patients with spinal cord injuries and the nursing team were both excellent
• A charity funded Eye Clinic Liaison Officer raised awareness about support for patients with macular degeneration.
• The care of patients requiring thrombolysis in the emergency department was outstanding, with trained consultants and telemedicine access to a consultant neurologist.
• The trust had been awarded integration status with other health partners to pioneer seven-day services. This included an urgent care team chaired by the clinical commissioning group involving social care, the mental health trust and the hospital to identify ways to avoid crises in communities leading to hospital attendance. Data showed this led to a reduction in admissions.
• The neonatal unit had developed a breastfeeding pack to encourage new mums whose babies were on the neonatal unit to hand express their breast milk.

Inspectors said that the trust must improve in some areas, including:

• The trust must ensure that that all patient records are up to date and reflective of patient’s needs.
• A named Non-Executive Director for end of life care in line with Department of Health Guidance must be put in place.
• The trust must ensure that all Do Not Attempt Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation are completed fully and in line with national guidance.
• An alternative to the Liverpool Care Pathway must be put in place for people receiving end of life care.
• All equipment must be checked at a frequency as per trust policy including, but not limited to emergency resuscitation equipment.

Full reports for the trust and all core services will be published on CQC’s website today at the following link: www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RGP.

Ends

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