Staff at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been praised for their hard work following a recent visit by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The Trust, which runs Andover War Memorial Hospital, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, has been recognised for the improvements that have been made, which are supporting staff to provide the best possible patient care.
The CQC’s deputy chief inspector of hospitals, Dr Nigel Acheson, said: “Since our last inspection, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has worked incredibly hard to embed the improvements required as a result of our previous inspections, and I want to congratulate the Trust for what it has achieved.
“Our inspectors found a strong patient-centred culture, with staff putting patients first to keep them safe and involving them in decisions that affected their treatment and care.”
The CQC also acknowledged recent investments in the hospital buildings, which have resulted in a positive impact on the experience of patients coming into the emergency departments at the Trust’s hospitals in Basingstoke and Winchester.
The new-look departments include new purpose-built clinical space for children, ensuring that young patients are seen in an area away from other patients, and new assessment areas to ensure patients who arrive at hospital by ambulance can be quickly assessed and treated.
Staff were praised for putting patients first, protecting their privacy and dignity and ensuring that the health and safety of patients is effectively assessed.
The Trust was also recognised for improvements in medicine safety, equipment maintenance, and its commitment to infection prevention and control.
The reports also state that the Trust has met the requirements for improvement set out in the warning notice issued under Section 29A of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 following last year’s full inspection.
Alex Whitfield, chief executive at Hampshire Hospitals, said: “Staff at every level within the our hospitals have worked incredibly hard to make improvements to their services and ensure our patients are receiving the best possible care, so it’s fantastic to see this hard work recognised by the CQC.
“We know there are still areas where we can make further improvements, and will continue to listen to our patients and staff to ensure we are delivering outstanding care to our local community. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the Hampshire Hospitals teams for all they do for our patients.”
Inspectors visited all three hospitals run by the Trust in April and their reports, which were published on July 1, can be read in full at www.cqc.org.uk.
