St George's Receives 'Requires Improvement' Rating
Trust no longer rated 'Inadequate' following latest inspection
St George’s NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Requires Improvement overall by independent health regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The improved rating means the Trust, which runs St George's and Queen Mary's Hospitals as well as local health facilities throughout the borough, is no longer rated Inadequate. This follows an unannounced inspection of services by the CQC between March and April this year.
The Trust had previously been rated as Inadequate overall since the CQC’s last major inspection report was published in November 2016.
Following today’s announcement, St George’s is now rated Requires Improvement for "being safe, effective, responsive and well-led". It is also rated Good for "services being caring". However, the Trust remains in special measures for the time being.
Jacqueline Totterdell, who joined St George’s as Chief Executive in May 2017, said, “This is a significant boost for everyone connected to St George’s. Our ambition is to provide Outstanding Care, Every Time for our patients and, whilst we are not there yet, moving to Requires Improvement is an important step in the right direction.
“We have made significant progress at St George’s and Queen Mary’s Hospitals over the past 12 months, and I am pleased the efforts of our staff have been recognised by the inspection team.
“However, the report published today shows that there is a lot more to do, and we must seize this opportunity to build on the progress already made. We will not be complacent.”
In their report, the CQC praised a number of improvements and innovative practices at the Trust. These included:
•The bariatric surgery team at St George’s, who have steamlined the patient pathway for gastric bypass patients, allowing them to carry out the first day surgery gastric bypass in the UK.
•The paediatric intensive care unit at St George’s, which had better than average patient outcomes when compared with similar units, despite the high number of patients cared for.
•The orthotics department at Queen Mary’s, which has received a Bureau Veritas certificate, an international recognition for demonstrating excellence and a drive for continuous improvement within the department. The department also met more than 90% of the national performance targets.
However, the CQC also identified the need for improvements in a number of other areas, including the care provided for people living with mental health issues; the way the Trust manages patients at risk of deterioration at Queen Mary’s Hospital; and the condition of some of the operating theatres at St George’s.
Since the inspection in March, a number of improvements have already been made including greater and improved training opportunities for staff in Duty of Candour and Deprivation of Liberty safeguards.
In June, the hospital also launched a new approach to managing deteriorating patients, building on good practice already in place at St George’s that are highlighted as a positive in the CQC’s inspection report.
The Trust is also continuing with the modernisation programme for operating theatres at St George’s.
Jacqueline Totterdell added, “We are already tackling the must dos and should dos in the CQC’s report as a priority.
“However, we also know that long-lasting change is dependent on everybody at the Trust striving – day in, day out – to make our services the very best they can possibly be.
“This is what the very best organisations do, and I am pleased we have staff at the Trust who are committed to making this happen.”
You can read the latest inspection report in full here
July 24, 2018