CQC report on infection prevention and control at OUH published

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an unannounced infection prevention and control (IPC) focused inspection at the John Radcliffe Hospital in May 2021.

We welcomed the CQC inspectors to the JR as part of a two-week process which also included a series of staff interviews and requests for document and data.

Today (Friday 9 July 2021) the CQC report based on the inspection process is published. It will be available on the CQC website.

Their report identifies a number of positive areas which are highlighted.

• Inspectors found that the Trust's IPC teams had the skills and abilities to run the service and manage infection prevention and control
• Leaders operated effective IPC governance processes and learning across the Trust was focused on supporting patient safety
• The Trust also had an open culture which meant that patients and staff could raise concerns about infection prevention and control without fear
• Staff said they felt respected, supported and valued
• The Trust actively engaged with staff to understand their thoughts and feelings during the pandemic and had developed an e-Book 'Stories from the COVID-19 pandemic - #OneTeamOneOUH', funded by Oxford Hospitals Charity, which celebrated staff who had made a considerable impact
• Staff were also encouraged to recognise colleagues who had achieved excellence in their area of work
• Trust leaders cared about the safety and wellbeing of staff and had developed a wellbeing plan during the pandemic called Growing Stronger Together – Rest, Reflect, Recover, focused on taking time out to recuperate after particularly busy periods
• They had also put 'rest pods' in place to enable staff to take a break and get adequate rest when needed.

In a personal message to all OUH staff following publication of the CQC report today, Chief Executive Officer Dr Bruno Holthof said: "On behalf of the Trust Board, I would like to thank all staff for your positive approach to the CQC inspection in May and for everything that you do in order to keep patients, visitors and staff colleagues safe. I am proud of the hard work and energy you display day in and out.

"I would particularly like to thank our Infection Prevention and Control team for the leadership and expertise which they have showed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic."

The CQC report also highlights some areas for improvement.

• Not all signs and floor markings were clear, leading to confusion among staff, patients and visitors
• In some areas, changes had not been made to the communal seating, which resulted in visitors sitting close together
• There were no effective processes in place for monitoring cleaning schedules of clinical and public areas
• In the Emergency Department there were sharps bins in non-clinical areas, and some in clinical areas that were not in stands
• More storage was needed to allow effective cleaning and reduce the risk of cross contamination, as boxes and some other items were stored on the floor

In his message to staff, Dr Bruno Holthof said: "We have already put in place a comprehensive action plan to address these areas for improvement following the initial feedback from the CQC inspectors on the day - this has been developed and approved for implementation by the Executive team.

"Completion of the action plan will be monitored through the Trust's governance processes - including the Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Committee, the Clinical Governance Committee and Trust Management Executive (TME) meetings - and completion dates for key actions have been agreed.

"On behalf of the Trust Board, I would like to thank all staff for your positive approach to the CQC inspection in May and for everything that you do in order to keep patients, visitors and staff colleagues safe. I am proud of the hard work and energy you display day in and out."