CQC report hails ‘Good’ surgical and critical care at RJAH

Surgical and Critical Care Services at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) have been rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC rates services by classifying them as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate against five criteria to determine whether services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Inspectors took an in-depth look at the Oswestry-based Trust’s surgical and critical care services specifically, during the inspection in May of this year. It was the first time inspectors had visited the hospital since November 2018, when the Trust was also rated ‘Good’ following a full inspection.

The findings published today show the specialist orthopaedic hospital has maintained those standards.

The report shines a specific spotlight on the overall care that was observed, noting that people were treated with kindness and compassion, and that staff protected patients’ privacy and dignity and treated them as individuals. Inspectors noted that leaders and staff at RJAH have a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust.

Surgery Services were rated as Good across the board, with inspectors specifically noting that all staff worked together as a team to benefit patients; and that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals supported each other to provide good care. Patients told them they felt involved in their own care and treatment as staff took time to explain what was happening and why. The inspectors said they saw examples where staff had gone above and beyond what was expected to support patients.

Critical Care Services were also rated Good overall, with inspectors saying patients and relatives spoke positively about staff, who were kind, explained their care and treatment, answered call bells quickly and provided pain relief when required.

Stacey Keegan, Chief Executive at RJAH, said: “I am delighted for our staff, who really deserve to receive a CQC Report like this. It is an exceptionally positive read and reflects so well on all of our people for the care that they deliver to our patients and the standards of professionalism that they maintain.

“I want to congratulate our Surgical and Critical Care teams for their ratings, which I am sure will be a valuable source of comfort and reassurance to patients.

“There are areas in the report where we will look to make improvements. and thank the inspectors for their insights and their support.

“As an organisation, our vision is to improve lives through excellent and innovative care, and we will use this report as another tool to help us to do just that.”

Harry Turner, Chair of the Trust, said: “This is an exceptional report which really captures the quality of care that we deliver to our patients each and every day.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to all of our staff for their hard work and enthusiasm. I would also like to thank my fellow Non-Executive Directors, as well as the Executive Team, for the leadership they have shown.”

You can read the report in full by going to: cqc.org.uk/directory/RL131.