CQC amends rating at Humber NHS Foundation Trust as patient care improves

England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals has found significant improvement in services at Humber NHS Foundation Trust following a comprehensive inspection by the CQC in October 2017.

A team of inspectors visited Humber NHS Foundation Trust to check the quality of nine core services. CQC also looked specifically at management and leadership to answer the key question: Is the trust well led?

As a result of this inspection, the trust’s overall rating is upgraded from Requires Improvement to Good. Safe has been upgraded from Inadequate to Requires Improvement, Caring remains Good. Effective, Responsive and Well-led have all been upgraded from Requires Improvement to Good.

The report, including the ratings table, is available in full on our website.

Inspectors found improvements across most areas of the trust, but there is still work to do and CQC have issued 15 requirement notices.

Jenny Wilkes, the Head of Inspection for mental health, said:

“CQC have seen a real improvement in services at Humber NHS Foundation Trust, and these changes move their overall rating from Requires Improvement to Good."

“At this most recent comprehensive inspection we saw exceptionally caring, kind and compassionate staff, who involved patients in their own care."

“We saw that services were now more responsive to people’s needs. Discharge was embedded from the point of admission, and senior leaders and commissioners met weekly to discuss, protecting patients from remaining in hospital unnecessarily. We also saw that complaints were now listened to, and more importantly acted upon."

“Although inspectors saw improvement, the trust still has a lot of work to do. They must ensure there are enough qualified staff on duty to keep people safe, and that those staff are up to date with their mandatory training."

“The trust should be pleased with their new rating, and they know where we have told them they must improve. We will check on the progress of these improvements at our next follow up inspection.”

The report identified a number of outstanding practices at Humber NHS Foundation Trust.

In the learning disability service, there was a real culture of development and improvement where staff were striving for excellence. Inspectors saw staff undertaking additional training to enhance their practice, as well as some team members that had received national awards for good practice. The learning disability service also undertook innovative practice to support patient discharge into the local community.

Patients on Millview Lodge were individually risk assessed and given electronic key fobs for their bedrooms where appropriate.

CQC found breaches in regulation at this inspection. The areas where the CQC has told the trust they must improve include:

• The trust must ensure that staff receive the full range of mandatory training, including immediate life support training and search training.
• The trust must ensure there are enough staff to meet safe staffing levels and provide activities, section 17 leave and engagement with patients on the wards.
• The trust must ensure that the rooms used by the rapid response service at Miranda House are properly maintained.

Ends

For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Officer Kerri James by email kerri.james@cqc.org.uk or by phone on 07464 92 9966. 

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