Staff at a major north east London NHS trust, have worked hard to improve the quality of care so that it is now ready to move out of special measures, according to the Care Quality Commission.
England’s Chief inspector of Hospitals said that Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, has demonstrated the sustained improvement necessary to come out of special measures and has made this recommendation to NHS Improvement.
Professor Sir Mike Richards, England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals said: "We last visited the trust in March 2015. Under a new executive team at that time, it was evident that improvements were being made, but more needed to be done to ensure the trust could deliver safe, quality care across all services.
"I am pleased to say that our latest inspection demonstrated that the trust has continued to make progress; to provide safer, better quality care.
"We found that the senior leadership was visible and involved in clinical activity. The staff were positive about the changes, their environment, and the future direction of the trust and the services.
"The inspection team was impressed by a number of innovative quality improvement and research projects which have taken place to improve the patient experience.
"While further improvements are necessary, we are confident that both leadership and staff know what needs to be done to continue towards achieving an improved rating."
During the inspection the inspectors found some areas of outstanding care:
- The trust provided tailored care to those patients living with dementia.
- It was proud of its neonatal and community teams for their work in providing babies with oxygen home therapy, which improved the quality of life for families.
- A dedicated paediatric learning disability nurse had introduced extra support for patients, including a children’s hospital passport and visual communication tools. This helped staff to build a relationship with patients who found it challenging to make themselves understood.
CQC inspectors visited the trust between September and October 2016. The focused inspection centred on four core services, each of which had previously been rated as inadequate in more than one domain:
- Urgent and emergency services
- Medical care
- Services for children and young people
- Outpatients and diagnostic imaging
The inspection team found that every one of these four core services had shown significant improvement, with services for children and young people particularly being commended – it is now rated Good overall, with Good ratings across four domains.
The inspection also highlighted a number of areas where the trust must make further improvements and despite the widespread progress shown, it retains its overall rating of Requires Improvement.
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While further improvements are necessary, we are confident that both leadership and staff know what needs to be done to continue towards achieving an improved rating.
Prof Sir Mike Richards