The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as being Good overall following an inspection in November and December by the Care Quality Commission.
The inspection took place found The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was providing a good standard of care. Previously rated as Requires Improvement overall following an inspection in 2015, the trust is now rated as Good for whether its services are safe, effective, responsive and well-led.
The trust is rated as Outstanding for whether its services are caring.
CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, said:
“On our return to The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust inspectors found a number of improvements had been made. This has resulted in the trust’s rating changing from Requires Improvement overall to Good overall.
“We found a number of areas of outstanding practice at the trust and staff who were caring and committed to proving a good service, and to improving outcomes for patients. The trust encouraged staff to provide innovative care that minimised people’s distress.
“There were some areas for improvement and this included critical care, where we have told the trust it must ensure it has systems and processes in place to assess and monitor the service provided. The trust knows what it must do to ensure those improvements take place and we will return to check those improvements have been made.
“The staff and leadership at the trust are to be congratulated for all their hard work in making improvements that are making a real difference to patients and that have resulted in its new Good rating.”
Full reports for the trust will be published on CQC’s website today.
Inspectors witnessed a number of outstanding practice across the trust, including:
- Staff exceeded the expectations of patients and family members. They were committed to patients’ progress, and motivated and inspired to provide kind and dignified care that supported patient needs on every level.
- Staff worked in a creative and innovative manner to provide exceptional, strong and caring emotional support that minimised their distress.
- Staff consistently involved and empowered patients, and those close to them, as active partners in their care and treatment.
- Services were actively engaged in a number of research projects with other agencies and partners to help to shape and improve future care.
- Staff were actively supported by the trust to be involved in national projects to improve patient care. For example, an orthotist who worked at trust was supported to complete a two-year project to help create guidelines to assist clinical practice nationally for spinal bracing in spinal injury.
- Staff were encouraged to think creatively and innovatively to improve patient care.
- The children and young people service had an open and positive culture that placed people at the heart of everything they did.
- Innovative technology was being used to support patients in children and young people services.
- Departments were actively engaged in research to improve patients experience and outcomes.
- The children and young people service employed a school teacher. The teacher helped children to complete school work or to work on relevant topics to help them keep on top of their studies and provide structure during their time in hospital.
- Staff had techniques that reduced anxiety that come with feelings of claustrophobia. The division had undertaken much work to improve the experience for patients undergoing MRI scans. For example, prism glasses were offered to patients enabling them to see outside of the scanner during scans and the medical illustrations team produced posters and positioned them to reduce the sensation of claustrophobia when in the scanner.
The inspection team also found the trust needed to make some improvements and this included that it must ensure there are effective systems to assess, monitor and review the performance of the critical care unit so the safety and quality of care provided can be improved.
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist and routine orthopaedic care.
We found a number of areas of outstanding practice at the trust and staff who were caring and committed to proving a good service, and to improving outcomes for patients.
Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Ted Baker