England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals has rated Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as Outstanding following inspections in June and July.
The trust was rated as Good following an inspection in January 2017 but on CQC’s return inspectors found a number of improvements had been made resulting in it receiving an Outstanding rating.
A team of CQC inspectors visited the trust between 4 June and 5 July 2018. They inspected six services, which were previously rated as requires improvement.
Services inspected were; acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units, mental health crisis services and health-based places of safety, community-based mental health services for older people, community-based mental health services for adults of working age, community health services inpatient services and community health services for adults
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is rated as Outstanding overall as well as for whether its services are caring and well-led. It is rated as Good for whether its services are safe, effective and responsive.
The trust provides a range of services across Northamptonshire to a population of 733,000 people including mental health, learning disability, community health and prison health services.
The trust had a vision for what it wanted to achieve and workable plans that turned it into action developed with involvement from staff, patients, and key groups representing the local community. The trust had managers at all levels with the right skills and abilities to run a service providing high-quality, sustainable care.
Deputy Chief Inspector for Hospitals (lead for mental health), Dr Paul Lelliott, said:
“We were pleased with the quality of care provided by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and there were notable examples of outstanding practice.
“We were particularly impressed by the strength of leadership at the trust. The trust board and senior leadership team displayed integrity, were proactive in addressing challenges and engaged well with partner organisations in the local area.
“The trust should also be commended for its attitude towards innovation and service improvements. There trust’s desire to drive service improvement for the benefit of patients, carers, and the wider system was evident throughout the inspection.
“The trust prioritised engagement at every level and through all services. As a result, staff, patients and carers were actively involved in improving the quality of services. Staff encouraged and enabled patients, families and carers to give feedback on the care they had received. The ‘I want great care’ initiative was just one example of this.
“Trust staff were helpful, understanding and used kind and supportive language that patients would understand. They used a range of methods to support communication with specific patient groups; including sign language, easy read leaflets and by seeking support from carers and families where appropriate.
“Staff established strong and therapeutic relationships with their patients and clearly understood their needs. They were always on hand to offer guidance and reassurance in situations where patients felt unwell or distressed or confused.
“We did identify a small number of areas where the trust could make further improvements. For example, they could improve the safety of some services; including the acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units and mental health crisis services and health-based places of safety.
“Overwhelmingly, however, we found a trust that provides excellent care during our inspection. The trust board and all staff working at the trust are to be congratulated for their hard work in achieving such high standards across its services.”
Ends
For further information, please contact Regional Engagement Officer, Helen Gildersleeve, on 0191 233 3379.
Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here.
Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters. For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.
The trust board and all staff working at the trust are to be congratulated for their hard work in achieving such high standards across its service
Deputy Chief Inspector for Hospitals (lead for mental health), Dr Paul Lelliott