Alan Whittle, Chief Executive of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, points to the many examples of improvement the inspectors found and positive comments made by patients and staff in the latest CQC report.
“This is a much more positive assessment than previously. Inspectors found patient feedback about their care and treatment across Basildon Hospital was generally positive, as were views about cleanliness and hand hygiene across all areas. They found significant improvements in many areas, in particular stroke services, where our mortality ratio is around a fifth lower than the national average. It is also worth noting that, overall, our mortality ratio is now the lowest in Essex and has been at or better than the England average for the last 18 months.
“The compliance review the CQC undertook in December looked at all 16 essential standards and was conducted by a team of 10 inspectors over the space of three days. (All Trusts will receive this planned review in due course; we have been among the first to be inspected in this way.) We were found compliant in 12 areas, with moderate concerns in the other four.
“We have already provided the CQC with a plan of action to address the four areas where they have moderate concerns. Two of these are around the standard of nursing documentation and dementia care. These areas are recognised across the NHS as needing greater focus and improvement. We are far from unique in finding it difficult to consistently achieve exemplary standards in documentation, which presents a challenge for the service as a whole. We are putting in place a nursing documentation programme which the CQC accepts is a major project that will take some 12-18 months to complete, starting with nurse training.
“Regarding the other areas of moderate concerns, action has already been taken to remedy the shortcomings the inspectors found in only one or two areas of the Trust. It is important to stress that we do not believe that individual instances of a problem can be taken to be representative of the whole hospital environment. We are seeking greater clarity from the CQC around the extent to which limited evidence in the report has been judged to indicate moderate concerns and non-compliance on a Trust-wide basis.
“We accept that there is always more to be done. Improvement is a continuous process and we will continue to work with the CQC to ensure we do everything we can to meet their requirements and deliver the very best care possible to our local people.”
