Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn upgraded from inadequate to 'requires improvement' by CQC
Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Natalie Gray
A hospital where the roof is being held up by more than 500 props is making improvements, a report has found.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was placed in special measures after being deemed inadequate in 2018.
The report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) looked at the services the hospital offers, rather than the 500 poles being used to support 56 different parts of the building.
Staff at the hospital have been celebrating its results.
"We've worked so hard and we really needed this today. To come out of special measures is just phenomenal," said Michelle Greer, who is a ward manager and has worked at the QEH for two decades.
But alongside celebrations there is caution, with calls for a new hospital growing.
But bosses are hopeful that issue may be dealt with soon as well.
"We have got a fantastic case of need for a new hospital" said chief executive Caroline Shaw. "I'm pleasantly confident that we will get a new hospital."
The issue has been raised by the area's MP, Conservative James Wild, who has written to Health Secretary Sajid Javid to invite him to "see the situation for himself".
'Requires improvement'
Health watchdogs said there has been progress but more still needs to be done.
The latest report found that the trust requires improvement following an inspection carried out in December and January, which represents an improvement on their previous inadequate rating. As well as the the overall rating, the CQC also found that:
The trust had made a marked improvement on the issues that led to it being placed in the recovery support programme;
Staff provided a good level of care and treatment, helping patients understand their conditions and supporting them to make decisions about their care;
Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness and provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
The trust was also praised for continually improving services, promoting an open culture so patients, their families and carers could easily raise concerns.
Examples of outstanding practice included the opportunity for nursing staff to develop leadership skills for the future and the service was dedicated to improving patient safety and experience.
However, inspectors also found that:
People could not always access the services when needed and waiting times from referral to treatment were not always in line with national standards;
Mandatory training was below trust targets.
Inspectors said the trust must improve waiting times, carry out weekly checks on resuscitation equipment and ensure it is maintained and ensure patient records and medicines are stored and managed properly.
Fiona Allinson, CQC deputy chief inspector for hospitals said: "I am pleased to see significant improvements have been made right across the trust in the care given to patients resulting in a number of its services being rated good.
"More importantly there's been a significant increase in the quality of care being given to people in Norfolk using these services.
"The Covid-19 pandemic brought a number of additional challenges to the NHS, so staff are to be commended for the progress made at this particularly difficult time."
Speaking about the report Alex Stewart, chief executive of Healthwatch Norfolk, said: “It is also a huge testament to the dedication of all the staff who have worked tirelessly in the extreme circumstances resulting from the pandemic over the past two years.
“From a patient perspective, Healthwatch has seen an increase in patient satisfaction over the last 18-months and this too has been borne out by various national patient surveys.
"Healthwatch will continue to work with the trust to ensure that patients and their carers remain at the forefront of any changes that the trust may be considering introducing as we move forwards.”