West Hertfordshire trust moves out of special measures

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust has moved out of special measures following an inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Sustained improvements and inspiring leadership were just some of the reasons why.

The decision to take the trust out of special measures was made by NHS Improvement, the regulator of hospital trusts.

The trust, which manages Watford General Hospital, Hemel Hempstead Hospital and St Albans City Hospital, has seen a positive change in the ratings for its sites and services, despite the overall rating remaining ‘requires improvement’.

Steve Barnett, chair of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “These results tell a story of commitment, care and high quality services. Even the quickest glance makes it clear that we have come a long, long way since being placed in special measures in 2015.

“Events in recent weeks only emphasise the kind of workforce we’re so lucky to have; we won a national award from the Health Service Journal; our medical director was invited to present nationally about our low mortality rates; and staff struggled through snow and ice to keep our services going and our patients safe.

“I am immensely proud of our staff. They never stop wanting to improve, to learn and to deliver the very best care for every patient, every day. Our leadership teams, from the Board to the wards, have been growing in strength over the last few years and this has played a big part in our move out of special measures.”

Katie Fisher, chief executive, said: “The improvement is across the board, with three services now being rated as good against all five aspects – safe, effective, responsive, caring and well-led. Achieving this level of consistency has not been easy but it has been done with pride. I congratulate staff in maternity services and in children and young people’s services at Watford, and the surgery team at St Albans for their sea of green!

“This is the second year running where the overwhelming trend is an increasing number of 'good' ratings. This reflects our commitment to quality and the fact that we are becoming a more clinically-led organisation, something that is easy to say but far harder to achieve. Having senior clinical staff around the table when key decisions are being made is good news for our ratings and even better news for our patients.”