By Local NHS Trust ‘requires improvement’
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals still requires improvement, inspectors have said.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors visited the trust in June and July and concluded that it could retain its “requires improvement” grading.
Key issues including delays for emergency care and staff shortages were highlighted. Inspectors were critical of five areas – Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well Led.
The trust scored “good” for Caring, while the other areas remained rated as “requires improvement”.
Sarah Dronsfield, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said: “The board had identified where they needed to make changes to improve both people’s experience of services and the culture within the organisation, and for the changes to be reflected in positive outcomes for people.”
Ms Dronsfield said: “across most services” inspectors found “there still wasn’t enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to meet people’s needs”, adding this needed to be addressed “as a priority”.
She continued that “most people” were happy with the care provided, and “it was evident staff worked hard to achieve best possible outcomes”.
The trust’s Chief Executive Peter Reading said that the trust, which has been in special measures since 2017, was now “much closer” to “good”.
Mr Reading thanked staff who “go above and beyond” for their patients, adding it was “really heartening to see a recognition of their efforts reflected”.
The trust said it had “achieved what is necessary” to leave special measures. A spokesman for NHS England said it would “work with the trust and system partners to review current Recovery Support Programme arrangements in the weeks ahead”.
