GLOUCESTERSHIRE Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Cheltenham General has received a ‘Good’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following last year’s inspection.

The report published on Friday, May 30, means that both Gloucestershire General and Cheltenham General hospitals are rated ‘Good’.

The CQC found that the leadership and management of our services demonstrated a strong safety culture, with leaders investigating incidents and sharing learning to promote good practice.

The inspectorate noted staff felt supported, with learning needs met through supervision, appraisal, and specialist training. Effective governance structures were in place to monitor the quality of care and ensure continuous improvement. Staff were encouraged to raise concerns and felt confident that these concerns would be addressed.

The added staff worked effectively within a multidisciplinary team structure, and where appropriate included external bodies such as Healthwatch, local support networks, charities, and social care providers, to provide care that meets people's needs.

Patients’ feedback was largely positive, with many reporting they felt supported in making decisions about their care and treatment and that staff treated them with kindness, empathy, and compassion.

However, some patients felt that their partners and loved ones were not always involved in conversations around rehabilitation and goal setting, which is one area the CQC noted for improvement.

It also concluded some nursing vacancies on wards were being filled by temporary staff so recruitment is needed, more specialist catheter training is needed for staff members, and it recommended an improvement in communication with patients when a ward transfer is needed.

The inspection has enabled the Trust to assess the impact of its Fit for the Future programme, which aimed to improve the quality of care and services.

Some ideas for excellence at both hospitals included the introduction of a Hyper Acute Stroke Unit and changes for the Acute Medical Take.