NHS hospitals trust for Peterborough, Huntingdon and Stamford ‘requires improvement’

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An NHS trust that runs three hospitals has been told it “requires improvement” by Care Quality Commission inspectors.

They raised a series of concerns including the number of qualified, competent and experienced staff at the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust runs the Peterborough City and Hinchingbrooke hospitals in Cambridgeshire and Stamford and Rutland Hospital in Lincolnshire.

Caroline Walker, trust chief executive, said the rating was “disappointing”.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited the hospitals between 30 July and 13 September and said a number of services “had deteriorated” since their last visit in 2018.

The report said the trust needed to ensure it had enough suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff.

It also said clear up-to-date patient records, including resuscitation information in end-of-life care should be better maintained.

Inspectors said maternity wards at Peterborough City Hospital needed to have their equipment maintained better.

The CQC also found that Stamford and Rutland Hospital’s minor injuries unit had got worse since the last visit.

Prof Ted Baker, CQC chief inspector of hospitals, said: “Inspectors found some good and outstanding practice at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, but they also saw areas where services had deteriorated.”

The CQC gave a “Good” rating in response to the question “Are services caring?”

Prof Baker said: “Across the trust, staff treated people with kindness and respect.”

Mrs Walker said they would use the report “as a good source of information to progress our continuous improvement”.

“We would like to reassure and assure our patients that we are committed to continuing to focus on the areas that need further support and have already taken action on the areas where concerns have been raised,” she said.

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