Western Sussex hospitals NHS trust rated outstanding

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/20/western-sussex-hospitals-nhs-trust-rated-outstanding

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An NHS trust has become just the third to be judged outstanding since the present system of inspections for hospitals and other health services was introduced in England more than two years ago.

The Western Sussex hospitals NHS foundation trust, which serves a population of more than 450,000 people, a relatively high proportion of them over 65, was particularly praised for its A&E, medical and end of life care, as well as its maternity, gynaecology and children’s services.

The Care Quality Commission said two of the trust’s three hospitals – St Richard’s in Chichester, and Worthing – were outstanding, while the smaller Southlands hospital in Shoreham was said to be good.

Only two other trusts – Salford Royal NHS foundation trust and Frimley Health NHS foundation trust, Surrey – have had a similar rating among more than 160 trusts on which reports have so far been published.

Western Sussex, inspected over four days last December, was among only a handful of trusts to meet waiting time targets for emergency treatment, inspectors said. “Overwhelmingly and almost exclusively positive” feedback from patients and their families was unprecedented, while there was a sense of pride and being valued among staff.

Staff working with patients in critical care were praised for the way they addressed the anxieties of patients and families, including helping provide wheelchair access “to areas of comfort such as the chapel”.

They also focused “on the person and not the technology”, with people being taken out of critical care in wheelchairs if they were well enough, to help them maintain a sense of normality.

Fathers were encouraged to stay overnight on the postnatal ward to provide support for their partners and to begin bonding with their babies.

Work on reducing mortality rates included changing the care and treatment of patients who had a fractured femur neck, a significant cause of death among older people generally.

Mike Richards, the chief inspector of hospitals, praised the quality, safety and innovation at the trust, although some areas needed improvement, including waiting times for surgery and outpatients.

“Staff we spoke with were exceptionally compassionate when talking about patients and we observed kindness not only towards patients but to each other whilst on site,” Richards said. “There was clear professional respect between all levels and disciplines of staff. We saw real warmth amongst teams and an open and trusting culture.”

Marianne Griffiths, the trust’s chief executive, said staff were thrilled by the report, adding that it was “a fantastic endorsement” of the thinking behind the trust’s programme of improvement “which recognises that frontline staff have the best understanding of what needs to be done to make services better for patients and gives them the skills and support to make that change”.

Reports on 164 trusts have been published by the CQC since March 2014. Of the 113 acute trusts covered, three have been rated outstanding, 26 good, 74 requiring improvement, and 10 inadequate.

No mental health, ambulance or community health trust has yet been judged outstanding.