Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Rated 'Good' by Care Quality Commission
Chief Inspector of Hospitals congratulates trust and staff on their 'fine achievement'
The Trust, which includes both Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in Fulham Road and West Middlesex University Hospital is one of the first to receive the 'Good' rating across the board under the new CQC inspection framework, and both hospitals were individually rated 'Good' overall.
The CQC inspection was carried out between December 2017 and January 2018, when the NHS was under particular pressure.
The Care Quality Commission's previous inspection of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in 2014 was much less positive, giving it an overall rating of 'Requires Improvement'.
However this time round, inspectors found that the trust had learned from CQC’s previous inspections at the and had put improvements in place.
Inspectors noted that staff were proud to work for the organisation and engaged with managers and senior leaders. The trust had consulted with staff and patients at both sites in developing its values.
Patients and carers gave positive feedback about the care they received. They said they were involved in decisions about their care and that staff considered their emotional well-being, not just their physical condition.
CQC found outstanding practice for caring in urgent and emergency care and services for children and young people at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. In both services inspectors witnessed clinical staff interacting with patients and their family members and carers in a caring, polite and friendly manner. Staff were highly motivated to offer care that promoted people’s dignity.
On medical wards at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital the work on Nell Gwynne and David Erskine ward in relation to elderly patients including those living with dementia was outstanding. Staff engaged patients in a wide range of activities and were passionate about the needs of these patients.
Inspectors saw staff on the Burns Unit used evidence based practice to improve outcomes for patients. Staff showed outstanding contribution to new ways of wound healing and acted as leaders within their speciality and now share their practice with other NHS providers.
End of life care had a high profile throughout the hospitals on both sites. There was a focus on improving the experience for patients nearing the end of life and there appeared to be a widespread commitment to achieving this.
However, there are areas where the trust should take measures to improve care. These include:
In Urgent and emergency services: The service should ensure that consultant cover continues to increase to provide 16 hours per day consultant cover as per Royal College of Emergency Medicine guidelines.
In medical care: Review medical cover at night in order to address continuing staff shortages at night at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
The Trust was also awarded an 'Outstanding' rating for its 'use of resources' by an NHS Improvement inspection which was completed during the same period as the CQC assessment.
England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, said: " This is a fine achievement and I congratulate the Trust and its staff on the improvements that have been made since our last inspection."
"This is an incredible result and achieved by the amazing dedication, commitment to patient care, and loyalty to each other and our organisation," said Chief Executive Lesley Watts, pictured above. "I am extremely proud of everyone, and grateful for the hard work of each and every staff member. This result is a tribute to them, and well deserved.
"We remain committed to continuing our improvement journey and ensuring we give the very highest quality of care to our patients day in day out."
You can read the report in full, including CQC's ratings grid for the trust, on the trust's website.
May 2, 2018
