15 September 2021: An open letter to the public
This morning (Wednesday 15 September 2021) the CQC published its report following the well-led inspection of our organisation between the 26-28 July and the inspections of our core services, Surgery (21-24 June) and Urgent and Emergency Care (14 July).
The report is critical of the way our organisation is led, and as leaders of the Trust we have reflected deeply on the findings and are completely committed to leading differently and more effectively as we move forwards. We want to address these concerns through conversations with our staff about how we can improve processes and help our staff to deliver the best possible services for our patients.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels a part of a more positive, open and supportive culture across our organisation and that is what we will now work towards.
It is important to note that the report gives due credit for the care, dignity, compassion, and kindness that our staff provide for our patients.
During their visits, inspectors noted the diligence of staff around the wearing of PPE, cleaning equipment and infection prevention measures, as well as sharing key information to keep patients safe when handing their care over to others. Almost every area of the hospital would have engaged with the inspectors as part of the inspection into Surgery, so the inspectors’ feedback reflects a wide range of teams and services across the organisation and their good work.
The report mentions staff who told inspectors that they felt positive and proud to work at the Trust, but it also references clear criticisms from other colleagues that we will take on board. This reflects the range of feedback we have received from staff that have joined a number of sessions we have already held. We all regard any element of bullying and especially where this is linked to discrimination of any sort as totally unacceptable and we will work tirelessly to improve this.
Our job as the leaders of the Trust is to ensure that the foundations of our organisation improve, and there are a number of areas where we need to make immediate improvements- something we are absolutely committed to doing. This week we have been notified of plans for NHS England/ Improvement to provide an additional package of measures to support us in our improvement work.
Finally, we recognise that this report will cause some concerns amongst local people. We would like to reassure you that we are taking this very seriously. The CQC continue to rate the care provided by our staff as ‘outstanding’ and this has not been brought into question; the negative aspects of this report focus on the leadership of the organisation and we are determined to work together as a leadership team to make these improvements rapidly to support our teams to provide safe, high quality care for our patients.
Eric Morton, Chair Rupert Egginton, Deputy Chief Executive