Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital adult critical care unit given 'good' rating after CQC inspection

The latest inspection results mean there were no overall rating changes for the hospital or trust, so both continue to be rated ‘requires improvement’.

The adult critical care unit, which had 22 open beds at the time of inspection, was inspected because the CQC received concerns from some of the service’s staff.

Inspectors found that the unit was clean, controlled infection risk, and had the provisions to support increased infection control measures if needed. Safety incidents were well managed, and the unit had a flexible approach to staff management, ensuring there was enough staff to care for those in the unit.

The report also said that staff were treated well and were respected and valued by their team leaders, receiving annual appraisals and up-to-date training.

However, the report also stated a number of ways in which the unit can improve to receive a better rating.

In the report, the CQC found that the unit did not always have the right combination of staff skills and was unable to meet the national guidelines on nursing skill mix in the intensive care units.

The inspectors also said that fatigue amongst staff was high and strained relationships, the high amount of staff turnover and the fast pace of change at the unit had caused low morale amongst staff.

There were also problems with audits not being completed, resulting in some information not being used to improve the quality and safety of the unit.

Karen Hill, CQC interim deputy operations director, said: “While many aspects of the care provided to people on John Radcliffe Hospital’s adult critical care unit were safe and effective, there were several areas Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust needs to address.

“We’ve reported our findings to the trust so its leaders know where there’s good practice on which they can build, and where there’s issues they need to address.

“We continue to monitor the service to support it to provide safe and effective care and treatment to people.”

In response, Professor Meghana Pandit, chief executive officer of Oxford University Hospitals, said: “On behalf of the Trust Board, I would like to thank all staff working in Oxford Critical Care for their positive approach to the CQC inspection in November and for everything that they do every day to look after the patients in their care.

“I am pleased that the CQC inspectors have publicly recognised, in the report published today, that our Oxford Critical Care staff are focused on the needs of patients, and have identified a number of other positive areas.

“However, it is important to acknowledge that the CQC inspectors also found some areas for improvement which we need to address together. The Trust Board is working with the management team and all staff to make improvements. This improvement will be monitored through the Trust’s governance processes and recruitment to a dedicated role to lead the improvement is underway.”