Staff across Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have ‘Good’ reason to celebrate after their hard work and dedication to improve was recognised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Inspectors from the CQC visited all three hospitals run by the trust in January and their report is published today. It reveals that Hampshire Hospitals is now rated as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for caring.
Julie Dawes, chief nurse at Hampshire Hospitals, said: “Being recognised as a ‘Good’ trust by the CQC is a fantastic step forward for us and we are all extremely proud of this achievement. I am delighted that the hard work and dedication of our staff has paid off and been rewarded in this way.
“We are especially pleased to have been rated as ‘Outstanding’ for caring. Our trust vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. That is at the heart of everything we do, so it’s fantastic that the CQC have recognised our efforts.
“We are seeing the same commitment and dedication every day as we tackle the challenge of COVID-19, with our staff showing incredible compassion in these exceptional circumstances and providing outstanding care for patients with the virus. It is also brilliant to see the improvements we have made in areas such as our emergency departments directly benefitting patients and making a real difference in our fight against COVID-19.”
The CQC is the body responsible for inspecting and regulating healthcare service providers across England. Inspectors ask the same five questions of all services, looking at if they are safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs, and well-led – and rating services as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate in each area.
Inspectors rated Hampshire Hospitals, which runs Andover War Memorial Hospital, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, as outstanding when considering whether services are caring – and good when considering if services are safe, effective, responsive and well-led.
Inspectors found that staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They also observed that staff provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
Measures put in place to prevent the spread of infection were praised, as was the way in which doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals work together as a team, supporting each other to provide good care.
Inspectors found that staff had the qualifications, skills, training and experience needed to keep patients safe and that care was planned and provided in a way that meets the needs of local people and the community.
Staff told inspectors that they felt respected, supported and valued, with inspectors also noting that the trust promotes equality and diversity and provides opportunities for career development.
Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals, added: “Our aim now is to continue our improvement journey, building on the progress we have made and using the recommendations provided by the CQC to work towards becoming an outstanding trust when we are next inspected.
“Staff across our hospitals are doing an amazing job caring for our patients at this extremely difficult and stressful time – so it is really good to have fantastic news like this to celebrate. I would also like to thank the public for their support over the last few weeks. It really means a lot.”
The full report is available on the CQC website.
Photos 1-4: Staff from HHFT celebrate the good news
