Inspectors rate Hull NHS trust as '˜requires improvement'

CQC inspectors said Hull and East Yorkshire Hospital NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary (HRI) and Castle Hill Hospital, needed to improve in areas including completing patient risk assessments and consistently using the “five steps to safer surgery” process.

It had, however, got better following its last inspection, with more than three-quarters of services at the two hospitals now rated as good.

Of the two, HRI was judged as requiring improvement, while Castle Hill was upgraded to good.

At trust level, safety and responsiveness remained as “requires improvement” while the rating for effectiveness and being well led improved from requires improvement to “good”.

Chief executive Chris Long said the trust had missed out on an overall good rating “by a whisker”, adding: “No one can be in any doubt about the dramatic transformation this organisation and our skilled and dedicated team has achieved.

“Not only has the CQC noted significant improvements in culture as well as performance, staff morale and patient care across the organisation, we are now a well-led trust which places patients at the heart of everything we do.”

Outstanding areas of practice highlighted by inspectors included the new Fatima Allam Birth Centre and the work of the trust’s ophthalmology team.

CQC chief inspector of hospitals Prof Ted Baker said they found improvements in all the core services, adding: “Staff we met spoke positively about the leadership team and told us they felt supported, respected and valued.” Of 22 trusts in the region, 10, including Bradford and York, “require improvement.”