England’s chief inspector of hospitals has rated services at Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust as Requires Improvement following its latest unannounced inspection in March this year.
Care Quality Commission inspectors visited the trust in March 2018 to check the quality of five core services: urgent care, community health services for adults, community health service for children and young people, GP out of hours services and sexual health services was inspected for the first time. CQC also looked specifically at management and leadership to answer the key question: Is the trust well led?
In November 2014 the trust was rated Good overall and in each key question; are services: safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. The recent inspection finds the trust has maintained its rating of Good for being effective, caring and responsive but Requires Improvement for being and safe and well-led. Overall the trust is now rated as Requires Improvement.
Two areas of outstanding practice were seen. The dietetics team arranged for six weeks' worth of additional breastmilk to be provided to the lactation clinic, enabling attendees to continue breastfeeding. The team also provided additional support and advice to those attending the clinic. A children’s weight reduction had also been developed by staff, in association with a local gym, in order to encourage health and lifestyle changes with both children and their families.
Inspectors found that risks were not being identified or mitigated well because the systems in place were not effective across the core services.
Sexual health and community health services for adults are now rated Requires Improvement. Systems to manage and record medicines and clinical supplies needed strengthening, along with the patient record system in sexual health services.
Communication between management groups was not always effective and inspectors saw examples where senior managers did not always have full oversight of key issues and risks. Some staff expressed a feeling that this was affecting the day to day care delivery and management.
However, when inspectors raised concerns they were immediately addressed by the trust and staff were seen to be kind, caring and passionate about providing high quality care, offering the appropriate level of privacy and dignity.
Full details of the ratings, including a ratings grid, are available online; read the report.
The Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, said:
“We have found that Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust provides services that are effective, responsive and caring - but it is disappointing to note that the trust’s overall rating has gone down to Requires Improvement.
“We found that the communications between management groups was not always effective and inspectors saw examples where senior managers did not always have full oversight of key issues and risks. Some staff told us that this was affecting the day to day care delivery and management.
“We have made it clear to the trust where it must take action to improve. Since the inspection the trust has been responding to these safety concerns and making changes to lessen the risks. We will continue to monitor those services and we will return in the near future to check progress.”
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it is disappointing to note that the trust’s overall rating has gone down to Requires Improvement
Professor Ted Baker, Chief Inspector of Hospitals