The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released its final report today which rates Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as ‘GOOD’. This was in relation to its recent inspection at both Bedford Hospital and the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital in August and September 2022.
The areas inspected were urgent and emergency care, maternity services, medical care and the Trust’s leadership.
This is the first Trust wide CQC rated inspection since the merger of Bedford Hospital and the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital in April 2020.
In the report, CQC inspectors made particular mention that the Trust was providing good standards of care to people and staff were working hard to ensure our services were resilient to challenges.
In addition, the Trust’s work with other local healthcare partners, our effective use of information and the culture our leaders have built to support staff to meet patient need was also commended by the CQC.
However, the consistent pressures faced within our urgent and emergency care services, like many other NHS Trusts across the country, in terms of long A&E waiting times, was an area the CQC inspectors highlighted as in need of particular focus to improve.
The significant improvements within our maternity services at Bedford were also recognised, moving this particular service from an ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’ rating.
David Carter, Chief Executive at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are happy with the news of today’s ‘Good’ rating from the CQC. It demonstrates that we are continuing to provide patients with good quality care, in spite of all of the pressures of the recent years. This would not be achievable without the sheer hard work and determination of our amazing staff working relentlessly around the clock”.
David continues, “We understand there is still work to be done and will use this report to make further improvements, addressing all CQC recommendations to ensure learning and developing is seen as integral to delivering an excellent patient experience. As a recently formed integrated Trust, this is a positive start on our journey from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’.