Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle MHK has thanked the West Midlands Quality Review Service (WMQRS) for the first in a comprehensive series of reports on the Island’s Health Service.
Mr Quayle says the report’s findings, published today, will be 'very helpful' in feeding in to the continuing process of change and improvement around Noble's Hospital and the Health Service in general.
The WMQRS review of the care of adults in the Emergency Department, Theatres and Anaesthetics and Critical Care Services at Noble’s Hospital took place in November last year. It was the first in a three year programme of reviews of the Island’s Health Service commissioned by the Department of Health in 2013.
The report includes positive findings such as the caring nature of staff and their commitment to providing good patient care. It also highlights a number of areas for improvement and the development of an action plan is already underway.
Minister Quayle commented:
'This report pre-dates major changes announced in February to create a strengthened management and governance framework at Noble’s Hospital but its findings will be very helpful in continuing the process of change.
'These reviews are valuable in highlighting areas in need of improvement, but the report includes positives as well as negatives. Particularly welcome and important is the report’s recognition of the impressive commitment and dedication of staff, with most of the patient feedback very positive about the care received.
'To address outstanding issues, where changes have not already been made, work has already begun on a robust and comprehensive action plan, which will be published. It is important that staff at Noble’s Hospital are fully supported as they work to make the necessary changes, and as Minister I will ensure that the full resources of the Department are made available to drive through the required work.
The Minister continued:
'It is important to appreciate that this is all part of a constructive and professional process of continual improvement in the Health Service and that this sort of peer review is common in the UK. This is the first of 13 reports on the Island’s Health Service over a three year period, and no stone will be left unturned. We will listen to what the reviewers have to say and make the changes where they feel improvements need to be made.'
A copy of the report can be downloaded here.
