Staff members from Poole Hospital are celebrating after another positive inspection from the Care Quality Commission.
Once again, Poole Hospital has been rated as ‘good’ overall, ‘good’ for well-led, ‘good’ for use of resources- and now, ‘outstanding’ for caring.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited the trust in October and November last year. They looked at four services: medical care (including older people’s care), surgery, maternity and end of life care. As well as considering whether the trust overall was ‘well led’.
Inspectors also found a ‘strong patient-centred culture’ with staff ‘doing what was right for their patients’. ‘Patients and relatives spoke highly of staff and of the strong culture throughout the trust.’
In particular, end of life care was given special praise. Inspectors gave examples of where staff had gone ‘the extra mile’ for patients nearing the end of life.
This ranged from organising weddings to arranging a specific room for a patient who valued a particular view, and welcoming visits from pets.
Inspectors noted that “Feedback from patients and their families…was without exception excellent, and we were told of numerous examples of staff excellence.”
The services provided by specialist bereavement midwives were described as ‘exceptional’, and an initiative which offers whooping cough and flu vaccines at antenatal appointments were among areas described as ‘outstanding’.
Other areas of ‘outstanding practice’ included:
- Regular meetings between geriatricians and GPs to discuss complex patients in the community. This service supports GPs in providing care and treatment plans in the community, to avoid hospital admissions;
- ‘Excellent’ support for elderly patients admitted following an accident (trauma patients), reflected in good outcomes and low mortality.
Debbie Fleming, joint chief executive of Poole Hospital and The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals, welcomed the report.
She said: “We are very pleased with the inspectors’ findings – in particular, being rated outstanding for caring.
“Our hospital is extremely busy, and the fact that staff deliver such a high standard of care is a reflection of their dedication and commitment, and of course, our “patient-centred” approach.
“We recognise that there is still more work to do and the trust is committed to improving the quality of care for our patients.
“As we move towards merger with The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals, both organisations will be working together to develop the best possible services for local people.”
She continued: “I could not be more proud of our teams who work so hard to provide great care for patients, and I would like to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt thanks to every one of them.”
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission also put forward a number of recommendations for the trust to act on. These included including strengthening governance, improving mandatory training rates, increasing appraisals for staff, and better record-keeping.
Additionally, the trust was encouraged to continue its ongoing programme of recruitment activity to help address shortfalls, whilst recognising the national recruitment difficulties the NHS faces.
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