Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Trust recieve 'Good' CQC rating

The report following the CQC's inspection confirms that the Trust delivers 'Outstanding' services in some areas and across all areas is rated as ‘Good’, an improvement on their previous inspection, which was rated 'requires improvement' in 2018.

The inspection included core service inspections of Sexual Health, the Community Intermediate Care Centre (CICC) and Community Services for Adults.

A well-led inspection of the whole Trust was also completed as part of the process.

• The Community Intermediate Care Centre (CICC), established at the height of the pandemic was rated as Good in all areas.
• Community Health Services for Adults (including community and specialist nursing) was rated Outstanding for the care they provide to patients and their families.
• The Sexual Health Service improved from Requires Improvement to being an Outstanding service.

Sexual Health receives 'Outstanding' rating (Image: WCHC)

Karen Howell OBE, Chief Executive at the Trust said: "This report highlights the pivotal role that community health and care services play in supporting the people we serve across Cheshire and Merseyside to live well and independently, and I am immensely proud of the outstanding care our teams deliver every day in the community.

"It is the greatest endorsement of our staff that we have been recognised as a Trust that treats our patients with dignity and with respect. Our patients feel safe, included and listened to and our staff are proud to work for this organisation.

"I am absolutely delighted that the professionalism, dedication and expertise shown by our staff and their passion to deliver outstanding care has been recognised by the CQC."

Team WCHC celebrating (Image: WCHC)

Among the many positive findings the inspectors noted that:

• Staff across the organisation felt respected, supported and valued. They remained focussed on the needs of people receiving care. Staff felt listened to and able to raise concerns if needed.
• The board and senior leadership team had clear vision and values that were at the heart of all the work within the organisation. They worked hard to make sure staff at all levels understood them in relation to their daily roles.
• The trust made sure that it included and communicated effectively with people, staff, the public, and local organisations.
• The trust was committed to improving services by learning from when things go well and when they go wrong, promoting training, research and innovation.
• People and those close to them understood their care and treatment; and staff supported people to make decisions about their care.
• Staff made sure people living with mental health problems, learning disabilities and dementia, received the necessary care to meet all their needs.
• Leaders recognised the training needs of managers at all levels, including themselves, and worked to provide development opportunities for the future of the organisation.

Karen Knapton, CQC Deputy Director of Operations for the North, added: "When we visited Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, it was fantastic to see the significant improvements that have been made across the trust and to see leaders took on board feedback from our previous inspection.​

"Leaders were committed, and we found the trust board and senior leadership team displayed integrity. They were efficient decision makers and welcomed challenges to ideas and the input of staff expertise.

"We found some outstanding practice in the community health services for adults and the sexual health service where we received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the way staff treated people.

"The team at Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust should be proud of these findings."

Graham Urwin, Chief Executive of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside explained: "I am delighted to see Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust’s CQC rating change from 'requires improvement' to 'good', which reflects the positive changes they have made.

"It is pleasing to see that the CQC noted the commitment from the Trust's leaders and their willingness to take on board challenges and ideas from staff. This is all part of our overall ambition to continuously make improvements to services across Cheshire and Merseyside and we are proud of the work our partners are doing to achieve the best they can for our patients."

The CQC report is available on the CQC website cqc.org.uk