Trust committed to further improvements following release of CQC report

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has reaffirmed its commitment to making improvements following the publication today (Wednesday 26 October) of a report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The inspection, which took place in August and looked at SECAmb’s emergency and emergency care, as well as its resilience teams, sees the Trust’s overall rating down from ‘Good’ to ‘Improvement needed’. The individual rating for benevolence remains “good”.

The inspection also checked the Trust’s progress in meeting the requirements of a well-conducted inspection which took place in February. The February inspection resulted in a well-directed ‘Inadequate’ rating, graded the NHS 111 Trust service as ‘Good’, but suspended other ratings until the final inspection was completed.

SECAmb is pleased that the care provided by its staff was recognized with a ‘Good’ rating and that inspectors found and were encouraged by the fact that Trust leaders were showing a sense of urgency in prioritizing issues that had been previously identified.

SECAmb’s acting chief executive, Siobhan Melia, was appointed in July this year. She says:

“I am very pleased that the excellent care provided by our staff has once again been recognized and rated “Good” by the CQC, despite the enormous pressures they face on a daily basis. I am very proud of the high quality care and compassion provided by our staff.

“We have already taken concerns about our culture and leadership very seriously and are committed to further improvements to ensure we improve our response to patients and the working lives of our staff. I know there is a lot to be done to get the Trust to where it needs to be and we are working closely with staff as well as partners at regional and country level to make the necessary improvements highlighted in the report.

The report found that there was additional strain on SECAmb services, including an increase in staff illnesses and increased delays in transferring hospitals. It also found, as noted in a broader national CQC report released last week, State of Care, that the Southeast, along with other regions, has a health and social care system that is ” blocked “. Inspectors acknowledged that SECAmb cannot solve all of its problems alone and encouraged the Trust to work with the wider health system to find solutions.

SECAmb has defined an improvement plan focusing on four main areas; Quality improvement, responsive care, sustainability, and people and culture. The work includes improving incident learning as well as continued recruitment and better retention of staff. It also involves raising the voice of the Trust within the wider NHS system to support improving patient journeys, reducing hospital transfer times and developing new partnerships.