The Care Quality Commission (CQC) re-inspected East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) in October 2016 and its report was issued on January 27, 2016. ESHT is the provider of acute and specialist healthcare services for a population of 525,000 across East Sussex, and has over 800 beds, nearly all of which are provided at the two main hospitals, Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital at Hastings.
Locally, the Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital provides up to 19 intermediate care beds with all clinical activities being leased to and managed by the trust, which were a part of this inspection.
The CQC inspects trusts using the following criteria: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. Each category is then listed with the descriptions: inadequate, requires improvement or good. Each hospital additionally has up to 54 individual ratings for different services.
In September 2015, the trust, rated as “inadequate”, was given a total of 114 ratings, of which 11 were good and 23 inadequate. This January 2017 the trust report now has 52 good ratings and 2 inadequate, with a rating of “requires improvement” reflecting a much more positive picture. It is still in special measures, as this ensures the support for its continuing improvement.
Full reports and ratings are available.
The report highlighted significant improvements at ESHT. Care had a “good” rating throughout, with very positive feedback from patients regarding the caring nature of the staff.
Dr Adrian Bull, Chief Executive, said “I am very pleased that the CQC has recognised the progress that has been made . . . However, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure we provide consistently high standards of care across all our services”.
So, what are the next steps?
The trust is going to focus on certain key priorities, which will include concentrating on recruiting and retaining more permanent clinical staff, improving the management and flow of patients through the hospitals, reducing waiting times, further developing community services and achieving financial sustainability
Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital’s outpatient department, consulting rooms and reception area have recently been refurbished by the charitable trust that owns the eight acre site. This has been a real improvement, commented on favourably by people coming into the hospital.
Importantly, the charity is also actively developing its community services, with the submission of a pre-application planning report for the day care centre on the site of the former ambulance station with further discussion and planning moving forward on a care home. Rye News reported on this in December 2016 and will continue to provide updates.
Photo : Rye Memorial Hospital