Helen Brown, Director of Strategy and Corporate Services (West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust) to provide an update on the Care Quality Commission Inspection Report
Minutes:
Helen Brown Director of Strategy and Corporate Services (West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust) gave a presentation to the Members of the committee. She outlined some important points within the latest CQC report.
· They want to improve on working lives and experience for staff (supporting the workforce)
· This report was not particularly good with lots of areas of concern – This will be the key focus within the next few years.
·Actions which have already flavour of actions we’ve already taken
• Launched a new approach to engaging and unlocking the potential of staff called ‘Listening into Action’
• Emergency department now boasts full complement of middle grades + 4 paediatric doctors and an additional ED consultant
• Strengthened clinical leadership in maternity including a new Associate Medical Director for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a new General Manager and recruiting to the Head of Midwifery
• And improving facilities for staff eg new rest rooms, staff garden, hot food trolleys, water coolers and vending machines.
Projects in progress
1. Develop a clear, memorable vision and values statement –agreed care, quality and commitment.
2. Improve how we engage and retain our staff.
3. Improve the recruitment and retention of staff.
4. Strengthen leadership and enhance development opportunities for staff –build the leadership programme.
5. Strengthen the delivery of clinical education and training eg mentoring.
6. Support staff to undertake mandatory training.
7. Strengthen safe staffing processes –e.g. escalation policies and performance management arrangements.
Actions that have already been taken
1. Launched the 15 steps challenge to help us look through the eyes of the patient
2. Appointed a health and safety manager with leads for each department
3. Introduced new lockable confidential waste bins
4. Introduced monthly audits of missed medication doses
5. New weekly audits of security and fire doors by porters and security staff
6. Updated our medical equipment system
7. Purchased new equipment for maternity services.
Actions taken within Patient Focus
1. Made sure patients walking into ED are clinically assessed within 15 minutes
2. Introduced a queue nurse to manage patient handovers from ambulance staff
3. Reduced length of stay by three days and getting patients home for lunch is now 22% (national average 15%)
4. Created a new hospital at night team –reduced cardiac arrest calls at night by 50%
5. Improved performance by meeting most of our national waiting times target.
Projects in progress – some examples
1. Enhance our quality governance –monthly divisional walkaround, weekly executive walkaround using 15 steps challenge.
2. Strengthen risk management processes –board oversight of risk, staff training in Datix and innovative risk management training film in development.
3. Ensure emergency resilience –improve business continuity planning and our capability to respond to a major incident.
4. Review and enhance our use of data –build improvements based on existing comprehensive data dashboard for emergency care, cancer and planned care.
Questions and Answers
The Chair thanked Helen Brown for her presentation of the CQC report for Members.
B Harris referred to the stroke unit in Watford hospital and asked if the Simpson Ward was still open.
H Brown explained that this particular area was looked after by West Herts Hospital. There have been ongoing conversations for them to provide patients with acute care. They are at present working with the CCG to see what needs to be done.
B Harris said that it was too far for patients to travel to Watford and would be more beneficial for recovery if there were beds nearer by.
H Brown said that she would look into the travel between the sites, however in the first 2 weeks of care, they aim for pathway where patients are managed more for home based care or a community environment.
Councillor Hicks asked if the ambulance service is equipped to give patients stroke relief.
H Brown explained that all stroke patients are admitted to Watford General Hospital for care. All ambulance staff are trained to recognise strokes.
Councillor W Wyatt-Lowe asked H Brown to confirm where the nearest hyper acute wards are.
H Brown said that there is one in Luton and Dunstable, Northwick Park Hospital (London). However there are ongoing discussions on these sites.
Councillor W Wyatt – Lowe asked if all patients on these wards come from Herts Valley CCG.
H Brown explained that the majority of patients are from Herts (90%) and the other 10% from other areas.
Councillor Timmis asked when the next CCQ inspection would be carried out and if all of the improvements would be up to standard in time for the new report.
H Brown mentioned that the CQC met last week, of which they received an inadequate rating for their report. There are special measures in place at present and hopefully will be ready in the next 12 months. It will be likely that there will; be another inspection held in the summer (June/July 2016). She also added that the department is working extremely hard to work on all of the areas that it failed on in the report.