Hull and East Yorkshire Hospital Chief Faces Questions Over CQC Report
A recent inspection found the trust still "requires improvement".
The MP for Beverley and Holderness will meet senior health officials today after a report identified improvements still need to be made at two East Yorkshire hospitals.
A recent Care Quality Commission inspection of Hull Royal Infirmary and Cottingham's Castle Hill Hospital found patients are still waiting too long for treatment and that the trust is failing to meet national targets - such as in the A & E department.
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust was first told to improve in 2014.
Graham Stuart says it's concerning that the hospital is still under-performing in many areas and will meet the trusts' Chief Executive, Chris Long, today.
Mr Stuart told Viking:
"The report by the CQC shows that key elements of the performance of the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust need to improve – and improve quickly. The doctors and nurses who serve our area do so with the utmost dedication, but there are clearly things which can be done better to meet patients’ needs.
“I have arranged to meet the Trust’s Chief Executive, Chris Long, to discuss the report’s findings. It’s important to evaluate the senior leadership’s plans to turn performance around and offer the best possible service to everyone in Hull and the East Riding. I will also be speaking to health unions to learn about staff perspectives on what is happening in our hospitals and how resources can be deployed most effectively.
“A key issue raised in the CQC report is the progress that has been made in improving the culture of the Trust, so that the high incidence of bullying and harassment that was identified in 2014 can be addressed. At a time when the spotlight is on lifting performance, it’s vital that people can raise their ideas and concerns in a supportive environment rather than one where they are ignored or silenced. I will focus on this issue in my talks with health officials and unions in the weeks ahead.”
Chief Executive Chris Long has told Viking that since the re-inspection 5 months ago, improvements have already been made. He told us:
"“Whilst we would obviously have liked our overall rating to improve, we knew this would be unlikely given some of the well-documented performance difficulties we have faced, such as surgery cancellations and meeting the 4 hour ED target, and this is reflected in the ‘Inadequate’ rating we have been given in the ‘Responsiveness’ domain specifically.
“We are not naïve and we know we still have much to do, but we can still take some positives from the reports published.
"In the five months since the re-inspection, we have either resolved or continued to make in-roads into many of the areas the report identifies for improvement.
"The CQC notes the quality of care and the facilities within our new ED are good, plus we’re making the Trust a more attractive place to work, and the reduction in the number of vacancies we’re carrying is testament to this.”