England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals is inviting members of the public to tell his inspection panel what they think of the services provided by Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Their views and experiences will help inspectors decide what to look at when they inspect the services provided by the Trust in April this year.
The Trust was placed into special measures following the Keogh review in July 2013 and remained in special measures following the CQC Chief Inspector of Hospitals’ inspection in May 2014. The Trust was given an overall rating of ‘Inadequate’ following that inspection, under radical changes which have been introduced by the Care Quality Commission.
The Chief Inspector, Professor Sir Mike Richards, announced that he will lead significantly larger inspection teams than before, headed up by clinical and other experts including trained members of the public.
This follow up inspection of the Trust will start on 28 April 2015 and will focus on previous findings. The inspection team are particularly interested in hearing the local public’s experiences since the previous inspection but also to say where they would like to see improvements made in the future.
Anyone who wishes to give their views to the inspection team can also do this by:
- Visiting: www.cqc.org.uk/syetameside
- Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
- By letter: CQC, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA
- By phone: 03000 61 61 61
The Inspection Team will be speaking to patients when on site during the course of the inspection to get their views.
Sir Mike said:
"The new inspections are designed to provide people with a clear picture of the quality of the services in their local hospital, exposing poor or mediocre care as well as highlighting the many hospitals providing good and excellent care.
"We know there is too much variation in quality – these new in-depth inspections will allow us to get a much more detailed picture of care in hospitals than ever before.
"Of course we will be talking to doctors and nurses, hospital managers and patients in the hospital. But it is vital that we also hear the views of the people who have had care at any of the hospitals run by the trust, or anyone else who wants to share information with us. This will help us plan our inspection, and so help us focus on the things that really matter to people who depend on this service.
“This is your opportunity to tell me and my team what you think, and make a difference to NHS services in the local area.”
Sir Mike's inspection team is expected to look in detail at A&E, Medicine, Surgery, Out-patients, and critical care. A full report of the inspectors’ findings will be published by the Care Quality Commission later in the year. The Trust will be one of the first to be given one of the following ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requiring improvement, or Inadequate.
Ends
For media enquiries, call Mark Humphreys Regional Engagement Officer on 01912333519. For media enquiries about the Care Quality Commission, please call the press office on 020 7448 9401 during office hours. Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here (please note: the duty press officer is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters).
For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.
Find out more
Read reports from our checks on the standards at Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust