CQC results published
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today (Friday 3 July) released the results of its February 2020 inspection of the Trust.
While the Trust’s overall rating remains “Requires Improvement”, the CQC found huge improvements, and we’re now rated as “Good” in three domains: caring, effective and well led. The CQC improved the ratings of over half the areas they inspected, and over three quarters of the Trust’s service domains are now rated as “Good” or “Outstanding” (with no areas rated as “Inadequate”).
Ben Travis, Chief Executive, said: “We’ve made a number of improvements since the last CQC inspection in 2018, and this report shows that – while we have got more to do – we are on the right track.”
A CQC spokesperson said: “Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust has made improvements and CQC recognise that the Trust’s leadership is moving the organisation in the right direction.”
Ben has recorded a film in which he discusses the results and looks back at all we’ve achieved over the past couple of years.
The CQC report noted that:
- Critical care services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) achieved a rating of “Outstanding” in the “well-led” domain – an improvement from “Requires Improvement” in the previous inspection
- The education and development programme offered to nurses in urgent and emergency care services at QEH was cited as an example “outstanding practice”
- Surgery services at both University Hospital Lewisham (UHL) and QEH have improved from “Requires Improvement” to achieve a rating of “Good”
- Critical Care services at QEH have moved from “Requires Improvement” to “Good”
- A number of hospital services were not inspected and retain their rating of “Good”, namely: urgent and emergency services at UHL, critical care at UHL, maternity at both UHL and QEH, children and young people’s services at UHL and outpatients at QEH
- Community services in Lewisham were not inspected and retain their rating of “Outstanding”
The CQC inspection noted that improvements needed to be made at QEH for the safe and secure storage of medicines and for care of patients with mental health needs in urgent and emergency care. In response:
- The Trust’s pharmacy and nursing teams have been engaging with frontline staff to ensure safe and secure medicines management. This has included producing clear guidance for staff on monitoring best practice and escalating any issues to ensure that the Trust meets best practice guidelines
- The Trust has worked with Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust to set up a mental health suite next to the urgent care centre, so that the high number of mental health patients requiring emergency care can be treated in the right environment. Specialist nurses and therapists from Oxleas staff the area, overseen by consultants from the emergency department. The Trust is also currently reviewing all arrangements for patients with mental health needs who receive urgent and emergency care.