NSFT marks key milestone in improvement journey with latest ‘good’ CQC report | News and events

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded its rating for the long stay rehabilitation ward run by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and praised the “kind, compassionate” care provided by staff. 

Inspectors have today (2 July) rated Suffolk Rehabilitation and Recovery Service (SRRS) as ‘good’ following an inspection in March. The CQC also noted that the service was “performing well and meeting expectations,” and gave it ratings of ‘good’ in the ‘effective’, ‘caring’, ‘responsive’ and ‘well-led’ domains. ‘Safe’ was rated as ‘requires improvement’. 

The findings mark a significant improvement since the service’s last full inspection in 2022, when it was given an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’. Following this earlier visit, SRRS was also handed ratings of ‘inadequate’ in the ‘safe’ domain, ‘requires improvement’ for both ‘effective’ and ‘well-led’ and ‘good’ in both the ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ domains.

The latest CQC report follows recent inspections that rated both the Trust’s wards for older people and its forensic inpatient and secure wards as ‘good’. This means the majority of the Trust’s core services are now rated ‘good’ overall by the CQC, which reflects NSFT’s ongoing improvement.

In their report published today, the inspectors said: “The service provided safe care and the environment was pleasant, safe and clean. The ward had enough staff and had access to specialists to meet the needs of patients… Feedback from patients and carers about the service was positive. Patients told us they felt safe, and that staff were caring and treated them with kindness and respect.”

The report also highlighted a wide range of additional good practice, including:

• The ward was clean, well-equipped, well furnished, well maintained and fit for purpose.
• Staff understand how to protect patients from abuse and work well with other agencies to do so.
• The service has a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. 
•  Staff are focused on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect.
•  Staff provide care which meets people’s needs and is safe, supportive and enables them to do the things that matter to them.
•  Patients are involved in creating care plans which are personalised, holistic and recovery-orientated.
•   The service supports people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control.
•    Staff listened to and understood people’s needs and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.
• The service makes it easy for people to share feedback and ideas or raise concerns.
• Staff make sure that discharges are considered, well planned and include ongoing support in the community, as well as input from the patient.
• Patients are supported to make decisions about their care, treatment and future. 
• Leaders have the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively and with integrity, openness and honesty.

 The inspectors also identified some areas for improvement. These included ensuring sufficient qualified, skilled and experienced staff are on duty, reducing sickness absences, making sure staff complete mandatory training and strengthening governance.

Caroline Donovan, Chief Executive Officer at NSFT, said: “The improvements evidenced by the CQC inspection are a real tribute to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues working in our rehabilitation services. I am delighted the CQC has recognised the quality of care provided and the wide range of good practice taking place. 

“We are particularly pleased with the positive comments the inspectors made about our kind and caring staff, and the fact that our patients told the CQC they felt safe and were treated with kindness and respect. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our staff for their continued commitment to delivering high quality mental health services to our communities.

“We are continuing to make real progress on our improvement journey. However, we are not complacent and we know we still have more to do to provide consistent, compassionate care to all those who rely on our services. We are committed to addressing the areas for improvement which the CQC has identified so that we can make sure our services provide safer, kinder and better care for everyone who needs it.”

NSFT’s Chair, Zoë Billingham CBE, said: “We welcome the CQC’s findings, which are a testament to the hard work of our staff who have been relentlessly focused on supporting our improvement journey. Importantly, they show that our teams are taking proactive steps to fully involve patients and their families in their care, while also offering any support to they may need to maximise their independence, choice and control. 

“The report once again illustrates that we are making positive progress to drive improvements across the Trust while also recognising there is still more work to do.” 

To view the full report, visit www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RMY