West Suffolk Hospital keeps its three star status

20 July 2004

Staff at the West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust were thrilled with the news that the Trust has retained its three star status in the NHS star ratings which were announced today (Wednesday 21^st July).

“This is absolutely wonderful news for the Trust and the people of west Suffolk,” said Trust chairman Veronica Worrall. “Retaining our three star status shows that the West Suffolk Hospital is in the business of providing first-class healthcare to the local community.  The Trust has now secured three stars in three of the past four years.

“I want to thank our excellent staff for the sustained hard work and commitment they have shown over the last twelve months. It is their enthusiasm and professionalism that enables us to provide such an effective service.

The Trust met eight of the nine key targets and was placed in the top band of performance for those indicators which cover clinical quality and capacity.

“These improvements are not just about numerical targets but make a real difference to patients,” said Mrs Worrall. “For example, all patients with an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer are seen by a consultant within two weeks. We achieved our targets for hospital cleanliness, waiting times for outpatient appointments, and waiting time in A&E.

“These are the sorts of issues that people care about. People in west Suffolk want to know that if they become ill, they will be looked after promptly by professionals in a clean, safe environment.

“The Trust’s success in gaining three stars shows that the care we provide to the local community is being delivered effectively and is of a high standard of quality.”

The one key target which the Trust failed to achieve was for financial management.

“We are fully aware that we have underlying financial pressures which need to be addressed,” said Acting Chief Executive, Richard Venning. “Tighter financial controls and monitoring will help the Trust get to grips with the long standing situation and bring our finances into balance whilst continuing to achieve all the other standards.”

Hospital food, the number of cancelled operations and the time it takes to respond to patient complaints were also identified in the report as having room for improvement. Action plans are already in place to improve performance in each of these areas.

“Now that we have secured our three stars, we are in a good position to carry forward our bid for Foundation Trust status,” said Mrs Worrall.