Improvements made within the Women’s Service of St Andrew’s Healthcare have been officially recognised by the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

Following a re-inspection the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has improved the overall rating of the Women’s Services from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’. In addition, the service has also been rated as ‘good’ in the caring and responsive categories.

The published report relates to an inspection that was carried out in April and May, 2022, during which the regulator spoke to staff and service users, as well as reviewing care records, policies and procedures.

The report positively mentions the compassion with which St Andrew’s treats patients, and the individualised, recovery-focused care plans it has in place.

The CEO at St Andrew’s Healthcare, Dr Vivienne McVey, said: “We are pleased the CQC has recognised the progress made across our women’s service over the last year, and we’re encouraged to see we are now rated as ‘good’ in the caring and responsive categories of the report. We are also delighted the CQC recognised the cultural shifts we have made at St Andrew’s by embedding transparency, respect and inclusivity into all aspects of our work.

“This is just the first step on our quality improvement programme. We know there is still a lot of work to be done, and cultural change does not happen overnight. But we are encouraged by the ‘improved’ rating in the report which has highlighted some green shoots of change and recovery within our service.

“Since the CQC last visited we have implemented a new system which is aimed at tackling staffing shortages on wards. The CQC also recognised the steps we have taken to reduce restrictive practices.

“We have also taken a pioneering step forward by working with five neighbouring Healthcare Trusts in the East Midlands to further focus our improvements, to ensure we deliver the highest quality of care for our patients.”

Executive Medical Director at St Andrew’s Healthcare, Sanjith Kamath said: “Although it’s reassuring the CQC has recognised the improvements we have made, we fully understand as a Charity we still have a long way to go in addressing some of the key issues which have been identified, such as staffing which the CQC highlighted.   

“There is no denying the fact that as an organisation we are still feeling the impact of the pandemic, and much like our colleagues in the NHS, the national shortage of healthcare staff.

“Improving quality of care and overturning an embedded internal culture can be a difficult process within a large organisation such as St Andrew’s Healthcare, but it’s something we are absolutely committed to and determined to change.”

For more information about Women’s Services, click here.