Isle of Wight NHS Trust has been rated Good following a comprehensive inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Despite the pressure of responding to the pandemic, 89 of the Trust’s 108 ratings from the CQC are now Good or Outstanding – 82%.
The CQC’s report, published on Thursday 23 September 2021, followed a series of planned visits by inspectors to St Mary’s Hospital and community-based services in June and July 2021.
Inspectors highlighted 18 examples of outstanding care or service, ranging from the quality of patient care provided to significant improvement in the Trust’s culture and partnership working.
They have also recommended to NHS England and Improvement that the Trust be removed from special measures.
Maggie Oldham, Chief Executive said: “The people who make up our Trust have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and even with all of those challenges they never lost focus on improving the services we provide to our community.
“It has been a long road to get to Good, but I am so proud of everyone that has contributed to this success. My sincere thanks go to all our staff, our volunteers, our partners and to our community for all their support.
“Being rated Good by the Care Quality Commission isn’t the end of our improvement journey – we know that there is more we can do, and our focus now will be on working with our partners to sustain the progress we have made and to ensure that our services are sustainable.
“I hope everyone working at the Trust can take a moment to appreciate the scale of this achievement and to reflect on their important contribution to our improvement – none of this would be possible without our wonderful staff. I cannot thank them enough.”
Inspectors found that the Trust provides person-centred care, and that staff are determined to meet the needs of patients and the public. They also found that there was a greater patient focus than seen before and that engagement with staff, patients, partners, and the wider healthcare system are much improved.
Overall, the Trust received a Good rating for how well-led its services are. Inspectors found that the Trust’s leadership were visible and approachable and that they supported colleagues to develop their skills and progress their careers.
Collectively, leaders and staff engaged with patients, equality groups, and the public, to plan and manage services to improve the services that local people rely on. There was also recognition for the focus the Trust has placed on supporting staff health and wellbeing.
The CQC noted that the organisation had a clear vision for the future of healthcare on the Island, which was well understood throughout the Trust.
Ted Baker, the CQC's chief inspector of hospitals said: “At this inspection of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, we found sustainable improvements have been put in place and embedded. This is a great achievement, the more so as it has taken place against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout the inspection, the team received feedback that was overwhelmingly positive about staff often going the extra mile to support patients. The care and support received exceeded patient’s expectations, and this has resulted in the trust’s community services receiving an outstanding rating for being caring.”
