NHS trust behind Birmingham and Solihull hospitals told it needs to improve

Inspectors from the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) visited hospitals under the charge of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation after concerns were raised about the services there.

The trust is one of the largest teaching hospital trusts in England, serving a regional, national, and international population. It includes running four major hospitals: Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Solihull Hospital, and Good Hope Hospital.

Concerns were raised about the urgent and emergency services at Solihull Hospital, surgery services and medical services at Heartlands Hospital.

Though inspectors concluded the concerns raised about these services were unfounded, they still rated the overall trust as 'requires improvement'.

However, the CQC lauded some of the individual services, such as the care and response in Heartlands medical services and the urgent and emergency services at Solihull as 'good'.

Charlotte Rudge, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “When we inspected University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, we found staff who put people first to deliver the best possible care. Whilst improvements were needed in some areas, we saw managers putting improvement plans in place, mitigating risks and learning from incidents."

Excellent care but staff shortages

Ms Rudge continued: “In surgery, people told us the level of care they’d received was excellent and that all staff were responsive, caring and helpful. However, there were frequent staff shortages with some staff saying they felt care was unsafe as a result. Managers took appropriate steps to address vacancies with the resources they had available, and recruitment was ongoing.

“In urgent and emergency services, people were usually seen within four hours and staff acted quickly if someone was at risk of deterioration. Staff worked effectively in a multidisciplinary team to discuss and improve people’s care, and a therapy team was available for people needing support once they returned home.

“In medical services, people spoke positively and passionately about the care they received. Leaders were present on the wards and staff felt comfortable raising concerns with them. Staff were delivering person-centred care on the wards we visited and involving people in their own care to ensure they understood their condition and treatment plans.

“We will continue to monitor the trust, including through future inspections, to ensure the standard of care is sustained and any required improvements are made so people can continue to receive safe and appropriate care.”