CQC publishes report from listening activity at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust ahead of full trust inspection in May

02 April 2014

CQC publishes report from listening activity at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust ahead of full trust inspection in May

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today published a report based on listening activity carried out at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust in December 2013 and January 2014.

The announced visits – by a CQC inspection team including the Chair of CQC, David Prior, and CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards – took place in response to number of serious allegations raised by whistleblowers.

The visits were designed to allow staff and patients to speak up about their views on the hospital with a view to this informing the new style inspection of the trust which is due to take place in May. Further opportunities for both the public and staff to feed in their concerns will be provided at that time.

While many staff across the trust told inspectors that they were positive about the team they worked with and the care they were delivering, some staff were concerned that there was a lack of cohesive working between members of the multi-disciplinary teams which had the potential to affect patient experience.

Staff told inspectors about the continued challenges of working in some environments that were out-dated and no longer fit for purpose. For example, there was a lack of equipment storage space on a number of wards and poor connections between the various out-buildings on the Royal Sussex County Hospital Campus which resulted in patients experiencing long transfers.

During and after the visits, staff told CQC that there were significant tensions amongst staff. This was in particular for staff from Black Minority Ethnic (BME) groups who said they felt disadvantaged and at times, subject to racially motivated bullying and harassment. Some of these concerns had previously been raised with the trust directly who were able to provide CQC with confirmation of the actions they have taken to address those concerns.

Patients consistently spoke positively about the care and treatment they received. We were told about various projects and initiatives that had been introduced to help enhance the patient journey; specifically within the Emergency Department and on the Care of the Elderly Ward where we were told a Dementia Nurse Specialist had been appointed.

However, a number of patients felt that there were not always enough staff on the Maternity Unit which resulted in staff appearing rushed. Patients felt that their individual needs may not have always been met as a result.

Professor Sir Mike Richards said,

“We carried out these visits because we’d received numerous reports of concerning information about the trust, and we wanted to hear first-hand from staff and patients at the trust about their experiences. The majority of patients were positive about their experiences, as were a number of staff – although this was by no means universal.

“Being careful to maintain the confidentiality of those who raised their concerns with us, we have passed on our findings to the Chief Executive of the trust to investigate and report back to us. He is keeping us informed of progress, and we will continue to monitor trust services closely until we next inspect.

“That full trust inspection – under the new CQC methodology with larger teams and more in depth visits – will be carried out in May. The findings of this report will be central to that inspection.”

CQC held 12 focus groups across the trust, speaking to over 150 staff including nurses, student nurses, consultants and other medical grades, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, matrons, pharmacists and radiographers.

The team also interviewed a range of other staff including the Chief Executive, Medical Director and Chief Nurse. David Prior visited the Royal Sussex County Hospital and met with members of the local Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust BME Network, as well as visiting the hospital’s Emergency Department and the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.

ENDS

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Notes to editors

Due to the complexities of the concerns that were raised with CQC late in 2013, we considered that further information was needed to ascertain the potential impact that those concerns may have had on patient safety and patient experiences.

By listening to a wide range of people we would then be able to use the information that we captured to develop a richer and broader understanding of the quality of services provided. This will help us focus on specific areas when we inspect the trust under the new acute hospital inspection model.

We have not used this information to form judgments regarding the Trust’s compliance of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. We have however, sought assurances from the Trust where the information may have resulted in the potential risk of harm to patients that action has been taken.

We will continue to monitor the actions the Trust has taken between now and the inspection in May 2014.