The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recently published a report on the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV NFT) inpatient services.
Following an inspection in July and August of 2022, the CQC report has shown an improvement since the last inspection, moving from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’.
The report highlights good areas of practice, noting that culture within the service had improved with staff feeling more supported and mechanisms in place to allow escalation of concerns. In addition, staff have “developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment of patients” and “actively involved patients and families and carers in decisions about their care”.
Following the previous inspection, the trust recruited 70 healthcare assistants and continued to work with local universities to drive forward further recruitment aims for registered nurses, alongside an international recruitment strategy.
TEWV NFT has also focused on creating a ‘community’ on the wards, and with the recovery and outcomes teams, they have put on events and encouraged activities for their patients to aid in their recovery. A health care assistant council has been introduced along with a council for nurses, allowing staff to better contribute to the quality of the care delivered across the trust.
In response to the CQC report, Naomi Lonergan, Care Group Director of the Inpatient Services at TEWV NFT, said: “We have been working hard to improve the service since the previous Care Quality Commission Inspection in June 2021 and we are encouraged by the improvement in the rating.”
Acknowledging that the service rating is still at ‘inadequate’ in the category of ‘safe’, Naomi said: “We recognise that there is more to be done. This includes an unrelenting focus on patient safety with our absolute priority being on safe staffing and safeguarding our patients.”
