The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the Trust as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for providing both ‘Caring’ and ‘Effective’ services following their inspection in November and December 2019.
Conquest Hospital and Community Services were both rated ‘Outstanding’ overall with Eastbourne DGH rated ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for End of Life Care.
Adrian Bull, Chief Executive said: “These are excellent results and I would like to congratulate everyone across the organisation for achieving these high standards. They reflect the good work that is going on in every part of the organisation.
“These results represent another significant milestone for the Trust, however we will not rest on our laurels; we have more to do as we pursue our ambition of becoming ‘Outstanding and Always Improving’.
“This inspection did not cover all services. A number of services that were not inspected, particularly at Eastbourne, still carry the results of inspections that were carried out in 2018 and 2016. We know that those services have improved further since then.
“These are exciting times as we build for the future. We are planning for the £500m investment that has now been committed to ESHT over the next decade. This will include major rebuilding and renovation at all three sites – Bexhill, Conquest, and Eastbourne – as we deliver our strategy of becoming leading experts in frailty, establishing fully sustainable services, and maintaining urgent care services at both Eastbourne and Conquest.”
The CQC gives each hospital and community services individual ratings for different services including whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. They inspected Children and Younger People’s services on both sites, Surgery and Maternity at Conquest Hospital and Outpatients at Eastbourne District General Hospital.
In addition to the report on the quality of Trust services, a new report has also been published on the Trust’s ‘Use of Resources’. This review, undertaken by NHS Improvement, is an assessment of how effectively the Trust uses resources and covers finances, workforce, estates and facilities, technology and procurement. The Trust is rated ‘Requires Improvement’ for Use of Resources, although the report recognises that the Trust compares well against others across a number of measures of efficiency and acknowledges its focus on achieving financial sustainability. The Trust is on plan for a £10m deficit in 2019/20 and break even in 2020/21.
Or visit the CQC website