CQC inspection rates Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for caring

Staff at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Celebrate CQC Rating.

The latest inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for caring.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) staff, patients and volunteers are celebrated on Tuesday 19th June 2019 as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the organisation as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for caring following an inspections in February and March 2019.

The CQC recognised the huge improvements made at the Trust since its last inspection in 2016, when it was rated ‘requires improvement’.

BHT Chief Executive Neil Macdonald said: ‘This is wonderful news and is testament to the hard work of everyone in the Trust, our volunteers, partners and supporters. It is fantastic that we have been recognised as ‘Outstanding’ for caring.

In particular, it is wonderful that our end of life service has been recognised as being outstanding and other service areas, including the emergency department, outpatient service and adult community health services have been recognised for outstanding areas of practice.

Today marks another key milestone for us. The news that our progress has been recognised will give everyone at BHT a real boost and our patients greater confidence that the improvements we’re making on a daily basis are making a real difference to those for whom we care.‘

In the report, the CQC inspectors were particularly impressed by the way in which:

• ‘Patients were empowered and supported to manage their own health, care and wellbeing and to maximise their independence.’
• Inspectors noted: ‘How staff took the time to interact with people who used the services and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way.‘
• Also how: ‘Staff cared for patients at the end of their life with compassion… Without exception staff were caring, considerate and passionate about getting it right first time for patients.‘

CEO Neil continues: ‘We are looking forward to building on our achievements and maintaining the pace of change to transform our culture, workforce and tackle inequalities – for both patients and staff. We are fully aware of the challenges that lie before us, particularly in regards to sustaining safe staffing in our community inpatient wards. We are looking at a number of options to ensure we can continue to deliver the best possible outcomes and experiences for our patients.‘

Trust Chair Hattie Llewelyn-Davies commented: ‘Today is a day to focus on our successes and I would like to thank all who work within the Trust at every level and across all services for their commitment and dedication in ensuring our patients are well cared for. I would also like to thank all of our partners, volunteers and supporters for their continued commitment. Every day, and especially today, I am extremely proud to be the Chair of this organisation.‘

The full report will be made available on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.