Trust Rated GOOD overall following CQC Review Inspection

Following a ‘well-led review’ inspection by the CQC (Care Quality Commission) on 20 and 21 September 2016, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has received the news it has been waiting for – the Trust has now been rated as ‘good’ overall.

The CQC ‘well-led review’ was a follow up to the focused inspection conducted in October 2015 which reviewed core services and rated Blackburn and Burnley hospitals ‘good’.  The review looked at the Trust’s responses to the last inspection report and current practice including governance and risk management support for the services inspected to give a revised rating.

Chief Executive, Kevin McGee, was delighted with the rating, and paid tribute to staff, saying:

“I am delighted that the CQC have rated our Trust as ‘good’ – this is a reflection of the hard work that our committed and dedicated staff have been carrying out ever since the Trust was put into special measures in 2013.  I am very proud to say that there is now official confirmation that people in the local area can have confidence in the services the Trust delivers and be assured that they will receive the best care and treatment from our staff.

“I have read the key findings in the CQC report and there is so much to be proud of.  Our next goal is to improve even further, ensuring those areas still requiring improvement are tackled, and work towards receiving an ‘outstanding’ rating in the future.  Thank you to all our staff, patients and stakeholders for working with us on this journey and ensuring we have a clear vision, direction and stability which contributes to our continual improvement.”

The CQC inspection looked at services rating them on being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.  The report noted a number of highlights:

• Staff were caring, kind and respectful to patients and involved them in their own care
• Staff were proud of the work they did and both they and patients told inspectors they felt well engaged with and their views were valued
• Cleanliness and hygiene was of a high standard throughout the Trust
• The Trust had clear vision, objectives, values and improvement priorities achieved using a bottom up process with all staff engaged in its direction and
• The Emergency Department/Urgent Care Centre had introduced a number of innovations that had improved patient care, experience and outcomes. It is now the second best provider in the region for treatment of patients with neutropenic sepsis
• The Trust had achieved better than the England average for the 18 week referral to treatment target
• Nurse staffing had improved across all areas
• A full bereavement service was available across the Trust which was well received by families, with work underway with local religious leaders to improve on its utilisation by BME groups.