Since the Keogh Review placed Basildon Hospital under the spotlight for their worryingly high death rates, inspectors have found that vast improvements are actually being made.  The hospital has been heavily scrutinized for the last year after reports found quite serious hospital failings, however, inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have since recognised great progress.

A “different place”

A group of Care Quality Commission inspectors spent two days at the NHS Trust in Basildon, with great improvements being witnessed across many areas.  It was found that the cardiac and children’s services had improved greatly, with impressive changes also being recognised in the way in which the hospital is dealing with their complaints and other failings.  The report revealed that both patients and staff were happy with the improvements, with one nurse describing it as feeling like a “different place”.

Despite this, there is certainly room for further improvement with some care plans for terminal patients not being completed and a shortage in administration staff causing problems.  Due to this, the hospital remains on special measures from another regulator, Monitor, but the hospital says that they are only part way through their long-term recovery plan.

Basildon Hospital was first placed under special measures after they saw 3,186 deaths between April 2010 and April 2012; in the two years up to October 2012, the hospital had seen 544 more deaths that expected.

The CQC inspectors have described the improvements as “impressive work”.

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