Hinchingbrooke Hospital celebrates three appraisals

Hinchingbrooke Hospital is celebrating after three good reports about the care it provides.

Health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the hospital is meeting required standards after an unannounced inspection in November.

Accident and Emergency figures showed 98.2 per cent of A&E patients were treated in four hours, putting Hinchingbrooke fifth in a league table of hospitals in England.

The third report, Dr Foster, revealed the hospital has a “statistically significant low mortality rate”, meaning fewer patients died at Hinchingbrooke than would be expected based on national figures. By contrast, 13 hospital trusts across the country have higher than expected mortality rates.

Previously, the hospital was criticised for serious clinical failings, particularly in A&E and colorectal services.

A statement from the hospital, which is run by private healthcare company Circle, said the reports demonstrated the hospital had improved patient standards over the last two years.

Hinchingbrooke’s CEO Cara Charles-Barks said: “We have seen a huge improvement in the quality of care over the last two years. Our model is all about giving power to doctors and nurses so they can get on with their jobs and treat their patients and I’m delighted this is paying off.

“I’d like to thank our staff for their constant hard work which has allowed us to achieve these great results.”

Hospital chief executive and clinical chairman Dr Hisham Abdel-Rahman said the reports and A&E ranking were a brilliant testament to the transformation at Hinchingbrooke.

“These achievements are a result of the constant dedication of our staff across the entire hospital and I’d like to thank each of them for all of their hard-work,” he added.

The CQC unannounced inspection involved two wards – the stroke ward and a medical ward – and included interviews with 23 patients, 11 visitors and 37 staff.

Hinchingbrooke passed all the quality indicators tested including care and welfare of people who use services, cleanliness and infection control, staffing, assessing the quality of service provision and handling complaints.

There were concerns in the CQC report surrounding physiotherapy and support for those who had suffered a stroke.

The inspectors were told patients received a five-day rehabilitation service as there were no therapists at weekends, restricting activity to sitting in a chair or walking to the toilet.

Staff organisation on Apple Tree Ward to ensure appropriate support for patients, especially if highlighted as requiring support to eat a meal, was also questioned.

The stroke specialist nurse and consultant told inspectors that at times they felt the staffing levels were not adequate to care for stroke patients.