The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust has been rated requires improvement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection carried out in December and January. An improvement on their previous rating of inadequate.
Due to the improvements found at this inspection, CQC has recommended that the trust transitions out of the NHS England recovery support programme, (which replaced the former special measures regime for NHS trusts in July 2021). This recommendation would see the trust supported by NHS England and Improvement East of England, move from segment 4, to segment 3 of the systems oversight framework to enable them to be able to sustain and build on these improvements.
The trust had been rated inadequate since 2018, when it was put into special measures. It had previously been in special measures between 2013 and 2015, and returned to special measures again in 2018.
As well as being rated requires improvement overall following the latest inspection, the trust’s ratings for safety has moved from inadequate to requires improvement, how effective and well-led services are move from inadequate to good, caring moves from requires improvement to good, and it’s rating for how responsive services are have remained the same, at requires improvement.
Fiona Allinson, CQC deputy chief inspector for hospitals said:
“I am pleased to see significant improvements have been made right across the trust in the care given to patients resulting in a number of its services being rated good. More importantly there’s been a significant increase in the quality of care being given to people in Norfolk using these services.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought a number of additional challenges to the NHS, so staff are to be commended for the progress made at this particularly difficult time.
“The leadership team clearly understood the priorities and issues facing the trust and were focused on making continual and sustained improvements, which is why the rating for how well-led the trust is moves from inadequate to good.
“CQC will continue to monitor the trust, to ensure these fantastic improvements are embedded and further improvements are made.”
The latest report comes after an unannounced inspection of the three core services where there had previously been concerns. Medical care and urgent and emergency services move from requires improvement to good, and critical care remains rated as good.
Inspectors found:
- The trust had made a marked improvement on the issues that led to it being placed in the recovery support programme
- Staff provided a good level of care and treatment, helping patients understand their conditions and supporting them to make decisions about their care
- Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness and provided emotional support to patients, families and carers
- Key services were available seven days a week
- Staff were committed to continually improving services and it was straightforward for people to give feedback. The trust promoted an open culture so patients, their families and carers could easily raise concerns
- Examples of outstanding practice included the opportunity for nursing staff to develop leadership skills for the future and the service was dedicated to improving patient safety and experience.
However, inspectors also found that:
- People couldn’t always access the services when needed and waiting times from referral to treatment weren’t always in line with national standards
- Mandatory training was below trust targets
- Critical care didn’t have a dedicated pharmacist to support the service
CQC has told the trust that, in order to comply with its legal obligations, it must:
- Improve waiting times
- Carry out weekly checks on resuscitation equipment and ensure it is maintained
- Ensure patient records are stored securely
- Ensure medicines are stored and managed properly.
Full details of the inspection are given in the report published on our website.
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