Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals (BSUH) has today been rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and ‘Outstanding’ for caring following an inspection in September.
The CQC recognised the “huge improvements” made at the Trust since its last inspection in 2016, when it was rated ‘Inadequate’. As a result, NHS Improvement (NHSI) has also confirmed today that BSUH is no longer in any form of special measures.
The Trust was placed in special measures for both finance and quality of care in 2016. Following its emergence from financial special measures in July 2018, today’s announcement of its exit from the quality element of the regime completes one of the fastest and most significant transformations achieved by any NHS organisation.
BSUH Chief Executive Marianne Griffiths said: “This is fantastic news and thoroughly deserved. I know how hard all our staff have worked to achieve the improvements we all want to see and I am delighted that the results of those efforts have been recognised by the CQC and NHS Improvement.
“The inspectors went away with a clear understanding that care is our top priority and that we have a brilliant workforce committed to doing everything they can for the patients they care for.
“Coming after our exit from financial special measures in July, this recognition is another important milestone in our improvement journey and should give us all confidence to achieve even greater things in the future.”
Along with the trust’s overall rating, both the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath were also rated as ‘Good’.
The CQC inspectors were particularly impressed by the way in which front-line staff were empowered to make change themselves and by their high levels of engagement and motivation.
They repeatedly praised staff for their commitment to their patients and to continually improving services for them, saying: “We saw a significant number of plaudits from patients, relatives and loved ones describing how exceptional the care provided by trust staff has been both for the physical wellbeing of the patient and the emotional wellbeing of the loved one.”
Read the full report on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk/location/RXH01
