CQC demands that Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust takes action to improve services

8 March 2011

CQC demands that Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust takes action to improve services.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) completed a review of how well all 21 hospitals of the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) are meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

This review consisted of visits to nine hospitals across the Trust over a three day period in November 2010. It found that two hospitals – the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and a Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust unit at the Medway Maritime Hospital – were not meeting a number of essential standards. Improvements were needed for the care and welfare of people who use the services and for the safety and suitability of the premises in order to meet these standards.

Both hospitals provide services for people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and problems with substance misuse.

KMPT was required to send CQC a report with 28 days about how it would achieve compliance with these essential standards. In response, KMPT has developed action plans to address all of the concerns identified in our report.

CQC is monitoring progress against these action plans and continues to talk to the trust about the development of services to ensure they meet essential standards as quickly as possible.

Roxy Boyce, CQC Regional Director for the South East said, “Care provided by parts of the trust is falling short of standards people should be able to expect.

“We have told the trust where it needs to do more to comply. We have asked the trust to tell us what action it will take to improve. The trust has responded in a co-operative and proactive way to the issues we have raised.

She continued, “CQC has monitored progress against these action plans and continues to talk to KMPT about the development of services to ensure that they become fully compliant with the regulations as quickly as possible. We will check to make sure that the improvements have been made.”

CQC will continue to monitor KMPT’s compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the essential standards of quality and safety as part of our routine regulatory activity.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Care Quality Commission has a number of enforcement powers that enable it to act swiftly when services are failing people. These include issuing warning notices, restricting the services that a provider can offer or the way it is provided or, in the most serious cases, suspending or cancelling a service. CQC can also issue financial penalty notices and cautions or prosecute the provider for failing to meet essential standards.

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For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9239 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editor