Patient services at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust are getting better - but improvement is still required.
That’s the verdict from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after it made an unannounced inspection of the trust’s services.
The report, released today, found that there were some areas of outstanding practice, including innovative staffing approaches such as recruiting apprentices and the implementation of family-friendly working patterns.
But the trust will retain its overall Requires Improvement rating from the CQC.
Inspectors visited BHRUT’s two hospitals, Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes, while they were experiencing pressure during the winter months.
The inspection assessed emergency care, medical care and surgery at both hospitals, as well as maternity services at Queen’s, between January and March this year. Three of the four core services - surgery, maternity and medical care - were given improved ratings of Good.
There had been marked improvements in surgery safety, inspectors found, as well as a more integrated clinical process, the report noted.
However, there were some areas of improvement highlighted, including ensuring there are enough doctors on duty to meet the surgical wards’ needs at King George at weekends and evenings, and ensure appropriate supervision of the hospital’s adult day unit at weekends.
BHRUT must also ensure the board has the appropriate extent of skill, knowledge and experience to govern effectively, and address the low levels of completion of mandatory training.
Chief executive Matthew Hopkins said: “While it has been a difficult period for our trust, and for the NHS as a whole, I am really pleased that this report captures some of the excellent work being delivered by our staff every day.
“It shows we are maintaining and sustaining the improvements our staff have made, and we remain committed to continuing our journey towards outstanding.
“The report identifies some issues which we are already aware of and working to resolve, and we also take on board the points raised about recent instability within the trust’s leadership, which we are also tackling.”
CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, said that the watchdog would “continue to monitor their progress carefully”.
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