Early feedback from health inspectors assessing the Isle of Wight NHS Trust – in special measures following an ‘inadequate’ inspection in 2017 and a ‘requires improvement’ result in 2019 – has found it in ‘such a different place’.
The feedback has left bosses at the trust hopeful it could be lifted out of special measures.
Inspection of the integrated trust is still underway, with teams from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) examining acute, mental health and community services.
The ambulance service is not being inspected during this period, which Isle of Wight NHS chief executive Maggie Oldham said was bitterly disappointing but she hoped inspectors would be back to look at that area later in the year.
CQC inspectors were at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport for 2 days in June, assessing services, with overall very positive feedback received by the health bosses.
Speaking at a meeting of the trust board last week, Ms Oldham read extracts from a letter sent to her from inspectors who said they found a highly positive staff team with real ownership of their departments, wards and units.
Improvements had been noticed across the trust through quality, recruitment, investment and restructuring.
In acute services, inspectors observed care to be planned and delivered with dignity and compassion in all services they inspected but did find some areas where improvements still needed to be made, including some instances of patient note trollies which were unlocked.
In both medical and surgical areas gaps were found in patient notes, with staffing levels and performance concerns across some specialities also raised as an issue.
‘Overwhelmingly positive’ feedback was also heard in the community and mental health services, with inspectors finding caring staff who knew their patients but also found a unit of the Seagrove Ward which was in need of some uplift and the suitability of patient mix on the older persons mental health ward.
As the CQC are still operating under their emergency framework, Ms Oldham said they have not come to do a rating’s inspection although if they feel like they have sufficient evidence they could make a change.
The next rating on the watchdog’s scale is ‘Good’ which has been a goal for the trust to reach.
Ms Oldham said she was hopeful the inspectors saw enough to bring the trust out of special measures but was not a hundred per cent confident the rating would change as a result of the inspection.
The final inspection outcome will not be published until September or October but Ms Oldham said just relaying the feedback to staff at this stage has been a tonic for them.
Melloney Poole, chair of the board, thanked every staff member who had so far been ‘absolutely, completely and utterly brilliant’ during the inspection period and urged them to continue to be honest, open and proud of where the trust has got to.
well it would be better….seeing as they have practically banned anyone from entering who hasnt got covid