Queen’s Hospital, in Romford
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have today published their report into Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) following inspections in September and November 2019.
The CQC kept the overall rating of “Requires Improvement” for the trust but it has upgraded the rating of BHRUT’s leadership and effectiveness from “Requires Improvement” to “Good.”
Professor Ted Baker, England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, said: “Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust is definitely moving in the right direction. Although they are still rated Requires Improvement overall, I note that they were rated Good in three of the main CQC categories, for being effective, caring and well-led.
“There were also a number of areas where we saw some outstanding practice which was very encouraging. I would like to see the trust striving to improve safety and responsiveness in a bid to attain a Good overall rating and most importantly better care for its patients.”
Safety and responsiveness are the two areas that still require improvement.
BHRUT’s Chair, Joe Fielder, said: “Once again, our continuing, steady improvement has been recognised by the CQC. I would like to thank our staff, our patients and our partners for all their support as we strive to achieve our vision of providing outstanding care.
“I was also pleased that inspectors recognised we are working hard to improve our finances, despite challenging circumstances, and that NHS Improvement has moved our use of resources rating from ‘inadequate’, to ‘requires improvement’.”
King George Hospital, in Goodmayes
Inspectors praised the way staff treated patients with “compassion and kindness.”
But there were five breaches of legal requirements mentioned in the report, including the paediatric emergency department at Queen’s frequently being staffed by staff without training in paediatric care.
In a statement, BHURT said: “Usually, two registered children’s nurses are in the department, however, when a second children’s nurse is unavailable, it is covered by a nurse who, while not a specific children’s nurse, does have additional paediatric experience to allow them to care for children.”
The other four breaches include three in outpatient care and one in critical care.
The report also listed 61 actions the trust should take to improve.
BHRUT acknowledged that there are areas that require improvement but said, in most cases, work is already underway.
Chris Bown, interim chief executive at BHRUT, said: “While we know there is still much more to do, I am delighted that inspectors have recognised our steady progress; rated us as good in three of the domains, including well-led; and praised our kind and compassionate staff and the high quality of care we provide to our patients every day.
“I am heartened that England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, has said we are definitely moving in the right direction.”
Tags: BHRUT, Queen's Hospital, King George Hospital
