AFTER a recent inspection, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has moved the rating of Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital from requires improvement to good.
The CQC carried out an unannounced inspection of children and young people services at the Alex, which is run by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, in October of last year.
Inspectors found that staff recognised the signs of people who were at risk of experiencing harm and worked closely with partner organisations to protect them.
They also saw young people provided feedback when they were involved in incidents and staff learned from these experiences, preventing them from happening again and improving services.
Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “”It was clear that staff had put in significant work to improve areas we identified at our previous inspection.
“We also saw leaders were much more effective, and our experience tells us that good leadership, means better care, which is what we saw here.
“People were happy with the care they received. Staff provided children, young people and their families with high quality care and all the information they needed, which added to their positive experience.
“People also told us about their positive experiences of the trust’s outpatient services.
Mr Howarth said staff were also committed to improving young people’s experience of care and treatment and helped them feel comfortable and less nervous.
However, it was noted there was not a funded phlebotomy service for children which meant people faced a wait of three or more months for a blood test, but inspectors were told leaders planned to develop a treatment provision.
Mr Howarth added: “Staff at Alexandra Hospital should be proud of the findings of our report and the improvements they have made.
“We look forward to visiting again in future to see their continued progress as they build on these positive findings.”
