The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has welcomed improvements found in urgent and emergency care services at Stepping Hill Hospital, run by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, following a recent inspection.
CQC carried out an unannounced inspection of the service in November. This was carried out to check improvements had been sustained since the previous inspection in August 2020 when it was rated inadequate.
Following this latest inspection, urgent and emergency care has improved from inadequate to good overall and for being safe and well-led. It has gone from requires improvement to good for being effective and caring. Responsive has gone from inadequate to requires improvement.
The overall rating for Stepping Hill Hospital remains as requires improvement.
Karen Knapton, CQC’s head of hospital inspections, said:
“We acknowledge the efforts of the emergency care team at Stepping Hill Hospital for the improvements they have made to their service since our last inspection.
“We found staff provided good care and treated people with compassion and kindness. They gave patients, their families and carers help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. Also, the service has been tailored to meet individual needs, including those living with dementia or a learning disability.
“We were impressed by the rapid assessment and treatment unit in the ambulance handover area where patients were assessed before moving to the main emergency department. Ambulance handover times were reduced, and at the time of the inspection, ambulance crews waiting with patients in corridors was rare.
“The trust had developed plans for urgent and emergency care to improve the flow of patients through the department. There was a strong incident reporting culture, and the service monitored incident trends and shared feedback with staff to prevent patients being put at risk in the future.
“The trust has recognised the importance of staff wellbeing and has also given staff the opportunity to carry out training to increase their skills and knowledge to improve patient care.
“The trust has worked hard to make improvements during such a challenging time and this report reflects the commitment and hard work of all the staff in this service.
Inspectors found:
- Managers planned and organised services to meet local population’s needs
- Services were well staffed and there was an open and supportive culture
- The rapid assessment and treatment unit in the ambulance handover area reduced waiting times
- Staff could access emergency mental health support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for patients with mental health problems, learning disabilities and dementia
- The service monitored, analysed and responded to incidents effectively.
Full details of the inspection are given in the report published on our website.
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