The Trust, which operates Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Bassetlaw Hospital and Montagu Hospital, cares for an average of 475,000 outpatients, 125,000 inpatients and 175,000 emergency admissions every single year. It is one of only six teaching hospitals in Yorkshire and Humber and trains about one third of all medical professionals within the region.
The CQC report published today (Wednesday 19 February), recognises a number of areas of quality care, practice and improvement at the Trust. Reflecting an overall positive picture, this latest report means that in addition to an overall Trust rating of ‘Good’, each individual hospital site operated by DBTH also shares the same accreditation.
The CQC assesses trusts against seven key ‘domains’ which are described as ‘safe’, ‘effective’, ‘caring’, ‘responsive’, ‘well-led’, ‘use of resources’ and ‘quality’. Improving upon the previous inspection, the Trust has been rated good for six of the seven standards, with one domain rated as ‘Requires Improvement’.
During their unannounced inspection which began 3 September 2019 and concluded 10 October 2019, the CQC observed many examples of high quality care and emphasised in their report the improvements made since their last visit. Amongst a variety of departments highlighted within the report, the Trust’s cross-site urgent and emergency services received particular praise having improved in seven domains.
Inspectors also described clinicians as demonstrating good infection prevention and control practice, as well as emphasising a culture of learning at the Trust in order to improve safety. Most importantly, the visitors highlighted how caring and compassionate health professionals within the organisation are, as well as noting how well they work together, guided by a shared sense of purpose.
While a predominately positive report, the CQC have pointed to areas of where we need to continue to improve, such as staffing and training amongst certain colleagues, which the Trust is continuing to address.
Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive, said: “I am extremely pleased that the Trust has been recognised as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – this is an achievement which reflects the hard work, commitment and expertise of our colleagues who go above and beyond ever day in the delivery of high quality care and treatment.
“We have worked tirelessly to improve the services we offer for patients, embedding a culture of Quality Improvement (Qi) within our teams, as well as a desire to always do better for our communities. I am delighted that colleagues have been recognised for their efforts, and I share my thanks with each and every member of Team DBTH.”
“As an organisation, I believe we should be extremely proud that the inspectors described colleagues as being caring, supportive of each other and compassionate to both patients, their family and loved ones. As the CQC visited a wide variety of services, they identified areas which we will need to enhance, and we are in no doubt that we have more work ahead of us in order to realise our vision to become the safest trust in England.
“I would also extend our thanks to our local commissioning partners, as well as our partners within the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System for their support. The Trust is on an improvement journey, and on which I am pleased to reflect upon some remarkable progress. Now we must ensure that we do not get complacent and instead maintain this standard for our communities, as well as push on towards achieving our plan to always deliver outstanding care. Given the progress we have made in a few short years, I am confident that this an entirely achievable destination that we will be celebrating before too long.”
The reports published today (19 February) by the CQC are based on a combination of its inspection findings, information from the CQC’s Insights (intelligence monitoring system), and information provided by patients, the public, Trust staff and other organisations.
The reports are published on the CQC website at https://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RP5