Medway NHS Foundation Trust still requires improvement

Medway Maritime Hospital was placed in special measures in 2013 and came out of it four years later

A troubled hospital trust has been rated outstanding for its critical care department while maintaining its rating as "requires improvement" overall.

Medway Maritime Hospital was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in December and January.

It was rated good for caring, but inadequate for being well-led and requires improvement for being safe, effective and responsive.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust said it was addressing the concerns raised.

The CQC report rated the Kent trust as requires improvement for emergency and urgent care services, surgery and services for children and young people, inadequate for medical care, good for end of life care and outstanding for critical care.

The rating for safe went down to inadequate in medical care and remained as requires improvement in emergency and urgent care services, surgery and services for children and young people.

'Much more to do'

Inspectors also found the trust "did not have effective systems to control infection risk in line with best practice", while staff did not always clean their hands or use personal protective equipment (PPE).

James Devine, the trust's chief executive, said there was "much more to do to provide the high quality care we strive to deliver for all patients, every single day" but he was "delighted" that many of the trusts improvements had been recognised.

"This is a tribute to our staff who have worked hard to raise standards of care, for example in critical care where we have seen a significant change, and in end of life care," he said.

"While we would have liked to have seen improvements across all areas, we realise that there are many challenges for this hospital, many of which are taking longer to address."

Medway Maritime Hospital was placed in special measures in 2013 and came out of it four years later.