Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust improves CQC rating
It's after a warning notice was issued for their three hospitals at the start of the year
Three reports have been published today (October 27) into the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust's hospitals, after an inspection was held in July.
Improvements have been found to have been made since an unannounced visit to the hospitals at the start of the year, with inspections in January and February.
At the time, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued a warning notice, which was in relation to issues rom the inspections at the beginning of the year, finding issues "in relation to poor governance, incomplete risk assessments, incomplete records, equipment not being maintained, people’s nutrition and hydration needs not being met and medication not being managed in line with the service’s medicines policy."
However, following the latest inspection in July, the improvements needed to remove this warning notice were found to have been met at all of the Trust's hospitals; Broomfield, Basildon University, and Southend University.
This led to the CQC's rating for all three hospitals medical care improving from inadequate to requires improvement.
This rating's also improved in being:
- Safe
- Effective
- Well-led
The latest inspections mean that the Trust's overall rating remains as requires improvement.
What did the latest inspections find?
All three hospitals were found by the CQC to have design, maintenance and use of facilities, premises and equipment that kept people safe, as well as completing updated risk assessments for each patient.
Several other improvements were found at the July inspections for Broomfield, Basildon and Southend Hospitals, including staff supporting patients to make informed decisions about their care and treatment.
However, on each of the three reports it was noted that the services need to continue to embedding their processes and evidence the improvement through continued auditing.
“These changes are having an impact"
In response to the report, the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust have acknowledged the CQC's recognition of hard work of staff, and their determination to provide high quality care.
The report reflected that: “Staff supported patients to make informed decisions about their care, they gave patients enough food and drink to meet their needs and improve their health, and leaders operated effective governance processes throughout the service.”
Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We are on an improvement journey, which has been recognised by our quick turnaround from inadequate in July to requires improvement now. This is a positive step forward and inspectors clearly recognised the raft of improvements that have been put in place.
“These changes are having an impact and we were able to demonstrate our commitment to providing a quality, safe, effective, and caring service. I recognise we still have some way to go and I am adamant we will continue to improve, providing the safe, high-quality care our community rightly deserves.”