England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals has upgraded the rating of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from Requires Improvement to Good following an inspection by the CQC in June this year.
During this inspection, the team looked at those specific areas where the trust was rated as requires improvement when their comprehensive inspection report was published in June 2015. The areas which were included as part of this focussed follow inspection were based at; James Cook University Hospital, The Friarage Hospital and Redcar Primary Care Hospital.
The full report including ratings for the provider’s core services are available on this website.
The Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said:
“During our original inspection, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was going through a significant period of change to re-structure services and we saw them engaging with staff, local commissioners and the public. It is clear that this process and the changes that have been implemented as a result, are reflected in the improved quality of care we found at this inspection.
“We came across numerous examples where patient outcomes have improved since our last inspection, which is great news for people using these services. These included outcomes for patients with sepsis or non-traumatic chest injuries, children with a fever, and also those patients in an unscheduled return to A&E.
“We also found significant progress had been made in the areas of finance and governance which was a very encouraging sign.
“We were very impressed with the improvements we saw, and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should be proud of their new Good rating. However there are still some areas where we have told the trust they must make improvements.
Inspectors identified a number of areas of outstanding practice being provided by the trust including:
- Their lead nurse for end of life care leading on a regional piece of work in South Tees looking at the education of healthcare professionals around the Deciding Right tools (a North East initiative for making care decisions for those at end of life, in advance).
- The trust’s development of a detailed programme around the patient flow in and out of the hospital, aimed at reducing unnecessary admissions and helping to support patients being seen closer to home in a more appropriate facility.
Although there was much improvement, CQC have identified areas where the trust must make improvement including:
- The trust must ensure processes are in place and understood by Friarage staff around maintenance, and the moving and handling of equipment, and transfer of deceased patients particularly out of hours.
- The end of life strategy must be approved and implemented, moving to develop a seven-day palliative care service.
- The trust must continue to develop plans to ensure appropriate staffing levels on wards, particularly in the neonatal unit to meet the British Association of Perinatal Medicine guidelines.
- The discharge lounge at the Friarage Hospital must be reviewed in relation to maintaining and cleaning equipment and ensuring the environment is suitable for patients and fit for purpose.
The report is based on a combination of its inspection findings, information from CQC’s Intelligent Monitoring system, and information provided by patients, the public and other organisations including Healthwatch.
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For further information, please contact Kerri James, CQC Regional Engagement Communications Officer by email kerri.james@cqc.org.uk or by phone on 07464 92 9966.
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