Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been upgraded to an overall rating of ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a series of inspections across its services.
The improved rating marks a significant step forward for the Swindon-based trust, although its maternity services remain rated ‘Requires Improvement’ while work continues on an extensive improvement programme.
Inspectors visited the Trust’s Medicine, Surgery and Planned Care, and Family and Specialist Services divisions over the last couple of years. During the inspections, they spoke to staff and patients to assess the quality of care being delivered.
The CQC said inspectors found staff to be friendly and approachable. They also recognised a positive learning culture, with patients and their families supported to make informed decisions about their care while their communication, personal and health needs were met.
The Trust said the improved rating reflects the commitment of its staff during a period of sustained pressure on NHS services, with high patient demand, long waiting times and ongoing financial challenges.
Cara Charles-Barks, Chief Executive of BSW Hospitals Group, said: “We are incredibly proud to be rated ‘Good’ by the CQC following a series of inspections of different services. This recognition reflects the unwavering commitment, professionalism and compassion shown by our staff every single day.
“Over recent years, teams have worked hard to strengthen our services and improve the experience of our patients and colleagues. To see these efforts acknowledged is a fantastic achievement, particularly at a time when the NHS continues to face significant challenges.”
She added: “We’ve made exceptional strides in innovative patient-centred care, including reducing falls and pressure harm in hospital introducing additional clinics and utilising digital tools to reduce waiting lists and deliver care to people in the right place, first time.
“In maternity, while we have already made significant steps to address the areas highlighted by the CQC, we will continue to work to improve in this area and will now focus on reviewing all feedback shared to us by families so we can learn more quickly when things don’t always go to plan, making improvements to the environment so women are able to access staff at all times and continuing to provide strong and visible leadership so staff feel well supported.
“We remain ambitious and focused on continuing our journey of improvement to deliver the very best care for our local communities.”
The Trust highlighted recent developments within its maternity services, including achieving the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Gold Award, opening a new Transitional Care Unit for babies born between 35 and 36 weeks gestation and introducing neonatal oral antibiotics at home to allow some families to leave hospital sooner.
Despite the maternity service retaining its ‘Requires Improvement’ rating, inspectors recognised strong teamwork across the perinatal team, highlighting its positive working culture, visible leadership and the skills and training of staff.
The CQC also noted that where inspectors identified areas requiring improvement across the Trust, teams acted quickly to address concerns and demonstrated a strong culture of continuous improvement.
