Chief executive hails clinically-led revival at South Tees hospitals trust following CQC ‘good’ rating.
- South Tees becomes one of the first acute hospital trusts in England to go from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’ since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
- Care Quality Commission upgrades trust rating to ‘good’ four years after organisation was rated ‘requires improvement’.
- Chief executive who led improvement journey praises staff for their achievement and says organisation will not rest on its laurels as it works to raise standards even higher in collaboration with partners and communities.
Following an inspection that took place between November 2022 and January this year (2023) the trust, which runs The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, Northallerton’s Friarage Hospital and community services in Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough and North Yorkshire, has been moved up in the national care rankings from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good.’
In an endorsement of the trust’s improvement journey since its last full inspection in 2019, inspectors also upgraded its rating for leadership at the organisation to ‘good’. When the CQC inspects hospital trusts, the care regulator also reviews whether they are safe, caring, effective and responsive to people’s needs, and the trust achieved an overall ‘good’ rating in each area.
In every interaction the inspectors observed during their inspection, the CQC said that staff were kind to each other, and their patients.
Since 2019, the trust has been empowering its clinicians to make the decisions about how resources are allocated, and care is delivered across the organisation for patients and families.
Incredibly proud of all our staff
Sue Page CBE, chief executive at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am incredibly proud of all our staff. This achievement is a testament to their dedication and hard work.
“We will not be resting on our laurels. There is still lots more work to do, and we are committed to working tirelessly to carry on raising our standards in collaboration with our fantastic partners and communities as we continue to recover together from the huge effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
