The Care Quality Commission has found that the care offered to patients at the Royal United Hospital in Bath is safe and effective.
The CQC visited the RUH in December 2013, as part of the first wave of its new style inspections. The following core services were inspected, and all were found to be safe and effective:
- Accident and Emergency
- Medical care (including older people’s care);
- Surgery;
- Intensive/critical care;
- Children’s care;
- End of life care;
- Outpatients.
James Scott, RUH Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted that the CQC have found that our staff provide safe and effective care to patients across all the services we provide.
“I’m also really pleased that, as a consequence of this good report, the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Sir Mike Richards, has agreed that we can re-start our application to become an NHS Foundation Trust.”
“This new, in-depth inspection regime has provided an opportunity to examine all that we do to ensure it matches best practice, as well as highlighting areas of excellence. The RUH will continue to learn and improve as a result.”
Inspectors praised the hospital’s nationally recognised dementia charter mark scheme, which recognises wards that have improved the level of care they provide for patients with dementia, and said they provided a good choice of meals, with patients supported to eat and drink appropriately.
They said the hospital was now better able to manage the pressures which Winter traditionally brings, and said the rapid assessment team in the Emergency Department had improved the speed at which patients who arrived by ambulance were being assessed and treated.
The RUH were also said to be making good progress towards seven-day working, and their mortality rates were lower than expected.
Naturally as with any complex organisation, and with an in-depth review such as this, there are areas they recognise still need further work and development, particularly in how they improve the robustness of their performance monitoring systems. An improvement plan is underway to swiftly address each of the areas identified.
Brian Stables, Chairman of the RUH, added: “This very positive report from the CQC clearly highlights many examples of the really good work going on at the RUH, and we are incredibly pleased with this outcome. My immense thanks go to all our staff for the safe and effective care that is being provided to our patients.”
