Results of Care Quality Commission inspection

In January and February the Care Quality Commission (CQC) comprehensively inspected the Royal Surrey as they do with all hospitals. I am delighted to say that the hospital has been rated as ‘Outstanding’ in two areas with an overall rating of Good with not a single area requiring improvement.

The inspection team looked at the quality of four core services: maternity, gynaecology, medical care including oncology, and outpatients and then assessed the impact of these four on the overall domain scores in safe, effective, caring, and responsive. They also looked specifically at leadership and management to answer the question: Is the trust well led?   

They evaluated the Royal Surrey as ‘Outstanding’ in being responsive to people’s needs and in maternity services, and judged as ‘Good’ outpatients, gynaecology and medicine including oncology. So the hospital is ‘Good’ for caring, is effective and safe and well led.

The maternity department was seen to be innovative in providing person-centred care that involved other service providers: staff were energetic and ambitious, responsive to patients’ requests and made adjustments where possible for patients’ with specific individual needs.

Outpatients department was also credited as having strong, clear leadership: well managed and well-led.  The overall environment and dementia-friendly decoration and signage were commended.

Finally inspectors agreed that the Trust is well led with an open and honest culture throughout the organisation. Staff described the Trust as a happy, supportive workplace.

Well done the Royal Surrey.

The Royal Surrey has won the CHKS Quality Care Award.

CHKS is a company that provides data analysis services for most  hospitals so has all the objective evidence to back this award. Great testimony to the hospital's services.

The Royal Surrey has now taken over the contract from Virgin Heath for running Adult Community Health Services in Guildford and Waverley, It is busy embedding the Royal Surrey NHS culture, its performance targets and its focus on risk management. Hopefully as the year progresses improvements will become evident and opportunities will be realised to combine much more effectively acute and community care.  As a governor I will also now have responsibilities extending to this community care and am looking to develop my understanding of this environment.

NHS Improvement complements Royal Surrey on performance.

As you will know the Royal Surrey went through a very bad financial crisis and as a result was under surveillance from NHS Improvement. Through determined management it has turned itself around. The 2017/18 financial year has just ended for which the so-called control total set by NHS I was a deficit of £2.93 million but the likely outturn looks like being over £3 million surplus (a turnaround of £6 million).

Additionally, nationally, all hospitals have struggled to meet national targets such as the 4 hour wait in A&E. However, much to its credit, the Royal Surrey has been the exception and this has been recognised by NHS I. It has asked whether it can investigate how Royal Surrey managed to perform so well in order that others can learn. Well done Royal Surrey.

An electronic health record for everybody in Surrey.

 As a Royal Surrey Governor representative I attend the so-called stakeholder group for the Surrey Heartlands Transformation Programme. The latter is a collaboration between all the key players in the area including the Royal Surrey. It will be making a substantial impact on many aspects of health care. One project worth mentioning at this time is the intention to create an electronic health record for all residents of Surrey. It will start by drawing data from GP systems and then expand out to other care providers. Plans are in hand to send information to all households and will include the option to opt out.

Restricting over-the-counter prescribing

NHS England has launched a public consultation on reducing prescribing of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for minor, short-term health concerns which could save the NHS £136 million a year and encourage more people to self care. A list of 33 minor health concerns has been identified by a national joint clinical working group which are either self-limiting or suitable for self-care. Vitamins/minerals and probiotics have also been included as items of low clinical effectiveness which are of high cost to the NHS. To see the list and participate in the consultation follow the link below:

https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/over-the-counter-items-not-routinely-prescribed/

Community Services update

On 17 March the Royal Surrey will formally take over from Virgin Care the running of Adult Community Health Services in Guildford and Waverley. It will be a great challenge but presents many exciting opportunities not least of which is to have care pathways which extend from acute care at the Royal Surrey right in to Community care including Haslemere and Milford hospitals.

Staff employed by Virgin Care will transfer back in to the NHS as employees of the Royal Surrey. When Procare, the federation of 90% of GPs in the area, is ready and recognised as a qualified supplier of health services, district  nursing and community matron service staff will become employees of Procare  who will be under contract to the Royal Surrey. This will create a direct link between district nursing and GP services with many possible advantages.

The existing Royal Surrey Board and thus Governors such as myself will oversee these community services in addition to the Royal Surrey as now. Big change in scope!