​Chief Inspector of Hospitals rates SEPT as "Good" in recent CQC review

England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals has rated the services provided by South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT) as “Good” following a comprehensive inspection of the Trust by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June and July.

The team of inspectors from the independent healthcare regulator rated the Trust’s services as good for being effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The Trust is required to carry out three actions to make improvements in being safe. The Trust’s individual mental health, learning disabilities and community health services across Essex and Bedfordshire which were inspected were also judged to be “Good” overall.

Sally Morris, Chief Executive said: “This is a tremendous achievement and a fitting tribute to the dedication and excellence of our staff. They work very hard to provide the highest quality care for our patients and I am immensely proud of them. However, we are not complacent. The reports show that there are areas where we can improve further and we will be focussing firmly on these going forward”.

The CQC inspection team visited the Trust’s services over three days to observe the care given by staff, check records and talk with staff, patients and their families about their experiences of the Trust’s services.

The CQC report notes good practice that inspectors found at the Trust, including:

• Staff treated people with respect, listened to them and were compassionate.
• Services were effective, responsive and caring. Where concerns had arisen the Board had taken urgent action to address areas of improvement.
• The Trust had an increasingly good track record on safety in the past 12 months.
• Staff felt confident to report issues of concern and learning was shared across the Trust.
• Staff morale was mostly good and staff felt supported by local and senior management.
• There was effective team working.
• The Trust was meeting the cultural, spiritual and individual needs of patients.
• There was a commitment to quality improvement and innovation.