Surgery services at Nuneaton George Eliot Hospital awarded 'Good' rating

Only part of the inspection by the CQC was carried out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Surgery services at Nuneaton's George Eliot Hospital has been rated as 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission.

The inspection of the hospital’s other key services was suspended on 16th March following the CQC’s national decision to halt all routine inspections to reduce the pressure on health and social care organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A spokesperson from the Trust said: "While the Trust retained its overall rating of ‘Requires Improvement’, inspectors highlighted a range of examples of good practice with in the service during their time on the hospital site in March 2020.

Surgery staff were praised for treating patients with compassion and kindness and for respecting their privacy and dignity while taking account of their individual needs. 

George Eliot Hospital’s staff also supported and involved patients, families and carers to understand their condition and make decisions about their care and treatment.

The surgery service managed safety incidents well and learned from them – collecting information and using it to improve services. It also drew praise for working well together for the benefit of patients, advising them on how to lead healthier lives and using effective teamwork to deliver services that met individual patients’ needs.

Inspectors also noted that staff felt respected, supported and valued – understanding the service’s vision and remaining focussed on the needs of patients receiving care."

Welcoming the report, Glen Burley, Chief Executive of George Eliot Hospital said: “This report is testament to the hard work and dedication of our Surgery service and also indicates the wider improvement that is happening at the Trust. Our commitment to providing high quality, safe services comes through strongly in the inspectors’ findings.

However, there is more to do and we will make progress towards reducing the time people have to wait to use our services. Our new modular ward arrived on site last week and is on schedule to open as a dedicated surgical ward in September. We are also working with our partners across the health system in Warwickshire to embed and maintain the innovation we put in place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes closer working with our colleagues in primary care, and using communication technology to reduce the need for patients to have to visit our site for their care.”

“I look forward to welcoming the CQC back to Nuneaton to see the progress we are making. There is much more we would like to share.”