In May 2011, a team of inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Epsom and St Helier hospitals to assess the care that we are giving to our patients.
As part of the routine visit, which is known as the 'compliance review', inspectors visited 10 wards at each site, spoke to our patients and staff, and looked at how we store records and manage medication.
The purpose of the review is to 'ensure that the hospital is complying with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010'. The reports, which have now been finalised and published online (see below), contain some very positive findings, including:
-
Our wards - and the equipment on them - are run to the safest standards;
-
We make sure our patients give formal consent before starting their treatment;
-
Our wards and clinics are clean and welcoming;
-
Our staff are properly qualified and able to do their job.
Importantly, the majority of patients who spoke to the inspectors said that they were happy with their care, they felt that they could take an active role in their treatment and were kept informed about what was happening.
The CQC did note some areas where we could improve. They include:
-
Although people are provided with choices of food and drink to meet their needs, staff need to ensure that there is support available for those who need assistance to eat and drink;
-
We need to make sure staff understand how they can access additional training (over and above their statutory and mandatory training);
-
In some areas, we could improve the way that we monitor, review and learn from any untoward incidents.
These reports and their findings are vital to us as an organisation, as they show us exactly what we're doing well, what we need to improve and probably most importantly, what our patients think of the care they're receiving.
In order to address the points above we have created and implemented a detailed action plan, which you can view below.
