Care Quality Commission report published following February 2024 inspection

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today (Wednesday 5 March) published a report following an inspection of urgent and emergency care services at Medway Maritime Hospital on 21 February 2024.

Inspectors rated the services Good for being well-led, Requires Improvement for being Effective, Responsive and Caring, and Inadequate for safety. The service was rated Requires Improvement overall, previously Good.

Jayne Black, Chief Executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very sorry that despite the best efforts of our hard-working staff, at the time of the last February’s inspection the inspection team found that our care fell below the standard that everyone should expect in their time of need.

“Over the last year we have made significant improvements so that patients attending our Emergency Department are treated sooner, are cared for in areas more suitable for their needs, and receive appropriate and compassionate care.

“We recognise there is much more for us to do, particularly to reduce delays for patients waiting to be admitted to a ward, so that every patient receives the high standard of care that we aspire to provide.

“Staff throughout the hospital continue to work tirelessly, together with our ambulance, community and social care partners, to reduce delays and improve care for all for patients attending our Emergency Department.”

Since the February 2024 inspection, improvements include:

1. Improved waiting times: the Trust exceeded the national target to see, treat, discharge or admit patients within four hours of attending the Emergency Department (78 per cent) throughout most of last year – up from 66 per cent in December 2023 – and is consistently among the highest performing trusts against this important care standard in the south of England.
2. Improved ambulance handovers: ambulance handover times are consistently among the best in the country – 14 minutes on average in January 2025 – and well below the national average. This helps patients get the care they need sooner and enables ambulances to get back on the road quickly to help others.
3. Improved patient feedback: patient feedback is improving. Last month, 75 per cent of patients who responded to the national NHS Friends and Family Test following a visit to the hospital’s Emergency Department had a positive experience of care, up from 65 per cent in January 2024. This feedback is reviewed regularly and is used to help us make further improvements to how we care for our patients.
4. New ward: a new multimillion-pound ward with more than 30 beds for patients with serious breathing or heart conditions opened in April 2024, providing a greatly improved environment for patients and staff, supporting the flow of patients through the hospital.
5. Improvement huddles: regular Patient First improvement huddles take place in the Emergency Department where teams gather to raise and address concerns and instigate improvements. This is one of more than 60 regular improvement huddles taking place across the hospital’s wards and departments, helping to drive improvements for our patients.

While the report details examples where we let patients down, it also recognises that many patients ‘had a good experience of the department with staff being compassionate and receiving care and treatment in a timely manner.’

Inspectors also praised a ‘supportive culture at local level’ and recognised that ‘staff were committed to providing care in challenging circumstances. Staff and leaders were proud that partnership working had reduced ambulance off-load times.’