England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals is inviting people to tell his inspectors what they think of the services provided by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.
Their views and experiences will help inspectors decide what to look at when they visit Torbay Hospital and the trust’s community health and social care services in February under the Care Quality Commission’s current programme of comprehensive inspections. The formal inspection will start on Tuesday 2 February 2016.
The Chief Inspector, Professor Sir Mike Richards, is leading large inspection teams including clinical and other experts, along with specialist inspectors and experts by experience, to inspect all of England’s acute hospitals.
To ensure the views of patients and the local community are properly heard, the inspectors are hoping to meet members of the public on Wednesday 20 January:
Between 10am and 1pm at Paignton Library and Information Centre, Great Western Road, Paignton, TQ4 5AG and
Between 2.30pm and 5 pm at Newton Abbot Library, Passmore Edwards Centre, Market Street, Newton Abbot, TQ12 2RJ
People are being encouraged to meet the inspectors if they want to tell them about their experiences of care from the past year or to say where they would like to see improvements made in the future.
Sir Mike said: “Our inspections are designed to provide people with a clear picture of the quality of the services in their local hospitals, exposing poor or mediocre care as well as highlighting the many hospitals providing good and excellent care.
“We know there is too much variation in quality – these in-depth inspections allow us to get a much more detailed picture of care in hospitals and community services than ever before.
“Of course we will be talking to doctors and nurses, managers and patients in Torbay Hospital and in the community services. But it is vital that we also hear the views of the people who have experienced the care provided by the trust over the course of the last year or so, or anyone who wants to share information with us. This will help us plan our inspections, and so help us focus on the things that really matter to people who depend on this service.
“This is your opportunity to tell my team what you think, and make a difference to NHS services in the area.”
Sir Mike’s inspection team will look in detail at eight key service areas: A&E; medical care (including frail elderly); surgery; intensive/critical care; maternity; paediatrics/children’s care; end of life care; and outpatients. Inspectors will also visit the trust’s community health services, including the community hospitals.
A full report of the inspectors’ findings will be published by the Care Quality Commission later in the year. The trust will be given one of the following ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requiring improvement, Inadequate.
