How I took Basildon hospital out of specific measures | Clare Panniker

A nurse advised the well being secretary earlier this 12 months that workers at Basildon hospital now felt listened to when they raised worries. Photograph: Steve Meddle / Rex Features

There have been cheers – and tears – of joy final week when I broke the information to colleagues at Basildon hospital that we had been eliminated from specific measures. The announcement follows a “excellent” rating from the NHS regulator, and marks the starting of a new chapter for the hospital.

It was the knowledge of one particular couple, whom I met two months right after I was appointed as chief executive of the NHS basis believe in in September 2012, that really drove us to enhance. They had been the mothers and fathers of a 10-year-old woman who had died simply because of our failings.

Soon after the youthful patient suffered an epileptic fit, medical professionals were unable to give her the anti-seizure medication she necessary since our stock was out of date. To make issues worse, there had been no senior staff on duty to treat her simply because it was five.30pm and consultants have been on call but not on site right after 5pm.

As I am a mother of three, their story struck a personalized chord. I was appalled by the standard of our care and by no means needed any other dad and mom to be so let down by the hospital. This was the catalyst for a modify in culture that was extended overdue. Only by recognising and acknowledging exactly where things had been going incorrect could we begin to put them right.

Following a 2nd serious incident in October 2012, the Care Top quality Commission (CQC) severely criticised the leadership and culture of the children’s services. Meanwhile, in a survey, half the hospital’s employees said they would not advocate it to their buddies and family members.

The organisation required to place compassion, care, openness, transparency and learning at its core. These are worthy aims but, to translate them into action, the hospital’s bosses had to be a lot more visible. We went out on to the wards to hear the views of patients and employees at 1st hand. We invited individuals to share their experiences, excellent and poor, at our board meetings.

We changed our structures to place physicians and nurses at the heart of management and determination-making, guaranteeing security that was our top priority. We overhauled governance processes to make certain we realized from severe incidents.

We employed 200 much more clinical employees and put wonderful emphasis on delivering the greatest care 24 hrs a day, seven days a week, with consultants’ rotas guaranteeing senior cover out of hours. Recruiting much more everlasting employees has enabled the trust to lessen investing on agency workers.

But in the wake of the Francis Report into the devastating failings at Mid Staffs, the spotlight on trusts this kind of as Basildon had become even a lot more extreme. The government asked the NHS medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh, to inspect trusts that have been deemed to be among the worst-executing in the country. Regardless of all our improvements, we were dealt a huge blow when the wellness secretary, Jeremy Hunt, announced last July that we were a single of 11 trusts to be place into particular measures.

It was disappointing, as our turnaround was under way. Morale was improving, employees have been raising issues and we have been listening and altering.

We caught to our path and, during their 2nd go to in November 2013, Keogh’s inspection team endorsed our transformation, saying they would be happy for their friends or family to be handled at Basildon hospital.

Following a CQC inspection in March, we received our “excellent” rating final week. Our maternity care was the initial in the nation to be rated “exceptional”. Professor Sir Mike Richards, chief inspector of hospitals, advisable to Keep track of, the regulator of basis trusts, that we should be the very first to be taken out of unique measures.

The well being secretary praised our turnaround in parliament. He quoted a nurse whom he had met on his visit earlier this 12 months, who said the difference at Basildon hospital was that workers now felt listened to when they raised concerns.

Our task is far from full – like all NHS trusts, we have to proceed improving services despite a substantial reduction in funding. But for now it truly is wonderful to see patients, politicians and media speaking about Basildon hospital for all the right reasons. And I am determined to keep listening.

• Clare Panniker is chief executive of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

How I took Basildon hospital out of specific measures | Clare Panniker