South Tees hospitals improve to gain good rating from watchdog

Inspections took place at Middlesbrough's James Cook hospital between last November and January 2023

A hospitals boss said she was "incredibly proud" over a watchdog's good rating after a previous report said it required improvement.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection was carried out to check progress at two hospitals run by South Tees NHS Foundation Trust.

Last year's report found concerns about patient risk assessments, nutrition and hydration and unsafe discharges.

Chief executive Sue Page said it was "a testament to dedication and hard work".

Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital and Northallerton's Friarage hospitals were both scrutinised.

CQC inspectors also visited the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton

The CQC inspection looked at critical care services, urgent and emergency care at James Cook, along with its medical wards and surgery, as well as at the Friarage.

Inspectors also looked at how well-led the trust was overall.

The trust said since 2019 it had been empowering its clinicians to make the decisions about how resources were allocated and how care was delivered for patients and their families.

'Truly special'

Ms Page said the trust would not be "resting on our laurels" and there was still work to do.

She added: "It has been a team effort.

"Together, they have all achieved something truly special, and we will continue to build on this progress for our fantastic patients and service users in the years to come."

Sue Page said it was a "team effort" to turn things around at the hospital sites

Sarah Dronsfield, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, praised "an effective leadership team" which had made "widespread improvements," which were most evident in critical care.

The report found services were well-led, staff felt respected and concerns could be raised "without fear".

Ms Dronfield added: "Staff across all the services we visited were well engaged and committed to continually learning and improving people's care."

But she said there were still "pockets of improvements" needed, mainly around making sure staff were completing training to keep people safe.

Inspectors highlighted there was not always enough nursing staff in medical care and there was no clear system for flagging risks in emergency care when the trust was dealing with people with mental health concerns.