Inspection report boost for York Hospital

Services at York Hospital ‘most improved’ after recent CQC inspection

York Hospital has seen its service rating upgraded to ‘Good’ after a recent a team of CQC inspectors visited York, Scarborough, and Bridlington Hospitals to check on the quality of core services.

Previously, The York Hospital was adjudged to ‘Require Improvement’ by the CQC and over Winter period, was adversely affected by the Winter crisis. In response, the Liberal Democrats made significant investments in York’s Adult Social Care system, through the 2018/19 Council Budget, to alleviate pressure on The York Hospital and reduce York’s Delayed Transfers of Care.

The York Hospital has now been found to be the most improved hospital in the York Teaching Hospital Trust and more specifically, has improved considerably in responding to the needs of people in York.

The York Teaching Hospital Trust as a whole, still ‘Requires Improvement’ and more work is needed to achieve widespread progress and maintain improvements.  The Liberal Democrats will continue to work and assist The York Hospital, where possible, to ensure quality services are provided to all residents.

Cllr Carol Runciman, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Adult Social Care, said:

“Over recent months, a significant amount of effort has been made to improve services at The York Hospital and ensure residents receive quality care when they need too.

“I am pleased that this has now been recognised by the CQC and that The York Hospital itself is now operating well.”

“The Liberal Democrats have recognised the detrimental affect of the Winter Crisis on the York Hospital and in turn, have secured over £3 million to invest in Adult Social Care and relieve pressure on the hospital.”

“Of course, there is still work to be done, but it is now recognised that The York Hospital is responsive to the needs of people using their services and it can lead improvement in our region.”

 

As part of the CQC review into York Teaching Hospital Trust, a team of inspectors visited York, Scarborough, and Bridlington Hospitals to review their core services

Now The Retreat gets disappointing inspection report

Inspectors have criticised standards at York’s Retreat home which specialises in the care of people with mental health issues. The report may place further pressure on York’s mental health services following the sudden closure of the Bootham Park hospital 2 years ago,

The Retreat report – prepared by the Care Quality Commission – cites concerns about;

  • Medicine management
  • Poor staff development
  • Unnecessarily long stays for older people
  • Inadequate staffing levels
  • Incomplete risk assessments s
  • Poor dining arrangements.

The report does say that all areas were clean and tidy, that staff had good support from managers, patients and carers were involved, staff had a good knowledge of legislation and that proper safeguarding processes were mostly in place.

The Retreat York was established in 1796 and is an independent specialist mental health care provider for treatment of up to 98 people with complex mental health needs. The service is located on a forty-acre site on the outskirts of York City centre. The main building is Grade II listed with a range of their buildings situated in the grounds.

NB The Retreat at Strensall was rated as “good” by the CQC in a similar inspection

York Council care home rated ‘good’

Care and support services at one of City of York Council’s care homes have been rated as ‘good’ by independent inspectors.

Services at Morrell House, which specialises in dementia-care, were inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May. It was described as  good in all areas which included; ‘safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led’ by the team of inspectors, who spoke to residents, relatives and members of staff as part of their visit.

The inspectors highlighted the meaningful caring relationships between staff and the people they supported, and that residents were relaxed and at ease in their surroundings. They also praised some of the team’s innovative dementia care, including the wearing of night clothes on night shifts- to reduce anxiety for people exploring the home overnight, the introduction of telehealth equipment  to reduce hospital admissions, and the plans to use specialist lighting in communal areasto help residents with dementia to differentiate between day and night.
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York NHS reacts to independent criticisms

Local services labelled as “requires improvement”

Bootham park

The York Council will debate on Wednesday a report on the progress being made in addressing failings in NHS services in the City.

The report responds to a Care Quality Commission review  last year in which 70% of the areas rated were judged to be ‘Good’, 25% as ‘Requires Improvement’ and 5% as ‘Inadequate’.

5 areas for immediate improvement were identified as;

  • Safety and suitability of premises
  • Systems for identifying, handling and responding to complaints
  • Ensuring staff receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisals
  • Ensuring there are enough suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff at all times to meet patients’ needs
  • Eliminating mixed sex accommodation

A report to the Councils Health Scrutiny Committee, details the changes that the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust was required to make and progress against targets.

The Trust claims to have achieved 96% of its improvement targets

NB. The same meeting will discuss a report on the direct payments made to individuals in York for care services. The Council has implemented a policy where those who opt for direct payments receive the payments to a personal account. There had been some concerns raised when payments had been made to third party organisations.