Bosses at a Norfolk hospital have talked of their “excitement” about the expected results of recent watchdog inspections, which could see it escape its current ‘inadequate’ rating.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn was put in the category by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2018 when it was placed in 'special measures' - a status applied to public services falling short of acceptable standards.
Following further checks in 2019 and 2020, the CQC undertook an unannounced inspection at the hospital in December 2021, assessing some of the organisation’s core services.
This was followed by a planned inspection in January to examine whether the site is “well-led”.
At a Tuesday meeting of the hospital’s board of directors, chief executive Caroline Shaw said that when she arrived at the QEH in 2019, “the CQC were knocking on my office every minute of the day, during the assessment process, with key issues about the organisation”.
Ms Shaw said the same had not happened in the most recent inspections, and that feedback in an initial letter from the CQC was “very positive”.
The full results will be published in the coming weeks.
She added: “Obviously one can never be too confident, we will have to wait for the full report, but I’m pleased to say that I think this... demonstrates really good progress for this organisation, in making it safer for our patients, giving a better patient experience and making it a better place to work for our staff.”
Dr Ian Mack, a non-executive director agreed: “There is so much good that has been found and we anticipate the final report with some excitement I think.”
He added: “There’s still plenty to be done, there’s no complacency, there’s a lot of excitement now that we can leave aside the shackles of regulation and liberate the organisation to do some really exciting things - but at the end of the day, all [of] that is about patient care and the care of the families who entrust their loved ones to us here in this hospital.”
Simon Roberts, another non-executive, said it seemed the QEH had “very clearly turned a corner and I think that is beyond the doubt of any final report”.
In closing remarks, Ms Shaw likened the inspection to passing a driving test and said: “Actually the real work begins now… and for one minute, we will not be taking our foot off the accelerator.”
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