Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust improving but still needs to do more

Following feedback from patients on the standard of care within the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, the Care Quality Commission undertook a surprise inspection at two of their hospitals. The last three years have seen the trust awarded a “requires improvement” rating, and that rating remains in place following the inspection, however improvements have been noted.

CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, said there was evidence that the trust is listening to the concerns raised by patients and is taking steps to improve their performance. Patients are being given more empathy, treatment is now administered by dedicated staff, and the discharge process works, albeit the arrangements are more complex. But more improvement needs to be evident at the next inspection, specifically the requirement for sufficient “suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced” staff, as the inspection found a distinct shortage of nurses at both sites, and both the staff themselves and relatives of the patients noted there is insufficient time available to talk to patients and relatives. Chief nurse, Angela Helleur, said this means they have to spend more on hiring agency staff, but they are addressing this problem with targeted recruitment.