Royal Papworth first hospital rated ‘outstanding’ in every area

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced that Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been rated ‘outstanding’ overall – and across all five of the CQC inspection areas.

It is the first time ever that an NHS hospital trust has achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating across the five areas: safe, caring, effective, responsive, and well-led.

It is also the first NHS acute trust to have gained an ‘outstanding’ rating in the safe category.

The achievement marks the conclusion of a busy six months for the trust, which included moving to its new building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in May, welcoming HM the Queen to officially open the hospital in July, and celebrating the funding award to build the Heart and Lung Research and Education Institute with the University of Cambridge.

Stephen Posey, chief executive, said: “It has been an extraordinary year for Royal Papworth, its staff and patients. To have been rated as ‘outstanding’ in all five CQC domains only two months after moving into our new building is testament to our skilled and dedicated staff whose work has created a culture which delivers the best possible care for our patients.

“I am immensely proud of what they have achieved and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts and extraordinary commitment.

“Our CQC rating represents a significant milestone for Royal Papworth as we seek to reap the benefits of our move to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and work with our partners to advance healthcare for patients. We will be working closely with key organisations and institutions such as the University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, our NHS colleagues at Addenbrooke’s and businesses, such as AstraZeneca and Abcam. This collaboration will benefit patients in Cambridge and across the world.

“Our ‘outstanding’ CQC rating, along with our new hospital, talented people and positive culture, will make a difference for the lives of our patients now and in the future.”

The inspection took place in June and July, with a previous inspection in 2014 having rated the hospital as ‘good’. In the report, the inspectors commended the hospital’s care, treatment of patients and leadership as well as the learning culture that exists at the hospital to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.

Since the move in May, the hospital has carried out more than 7,000 procedures and seen more than 40,000 patients. Annually it treats more than 100,000 patients.

South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen said: “What a wonderful and thoroughly well deserved result for the whole team at the Royal Papworth. To have continued delivering their world renowned care whilst moving to the biomedical campus is quite something and I would like to offer my congratulations to every single member of staff. You should all be very proud indeed.”

CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, Prof Ted Baker, said: “We were very impressed by the high-quality care and treatment offered at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

“Patients received exemplary care from committed and qualified staff. Premises were safe and clean, ensuring vulnerable people – including those living with cystic fibrosis – were protected from infection. Processes were in place, based on best practice guidelines, ensuring staff acted quickly when people showed signs of deterioration.

“An ‘outstanding’ rating is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment; I congratulate everyone involved. We continue to monitor the trust and we will return to carry out further inspections to check on progress with improvements.”

Ann Radmore, regional director for NHS England and NHS Improvement in the east of England, said: “This is great news for Royal Papworth Hospital and for patients in the region. An ‘outstanding’ rating across all of the CQC’s domains is a fantastic achievement and caps off a tremendous year for the trust, with the move to its new building. The ‘outstanding’ rating is fully deserved and is a testament to the hard work of the trust’s staff.”

The full CQC report can be downloaded from CQC website.