The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) as ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for providing both ‘caring’ and ‘effective’ services following their inspection in November and December 2019.

The really good news from the inspection is that Hastings’ Conquest Hospital was ‘outstanding’ overall with Eastbourne DGH rated ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for End of Life Care.

Adrian Bull, Chief Executive of the local trust said: “These are excellent results and I would like to congratulate everyone across the organisation for achieving these high standards. They reflect the good work that is going on in every part of the organisation.

“These results represent another significant milestone, however we will not rest on our laurels; we have more to do as we pursue our ambition of becoming ‘Outstanding and Always Improving’.

“These are exciting times as we build for the future. We are planning for the £500m investment that has now been committed to ESHT over the next decade. This will include major rebuilding and renovation at all three sites – Bexhill, Conquest and Eastbourne – as we deliver our strategy of becoming leading experts in frailty, establishing fully sustainable services, and maintaining urgent care services at both Eastbourne and Conquest.”

The CQC gives each hospital and community services individual ratings for different services including whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. They inspected Children and Younger People’s services on both Hastings and Eastbourne sites. The looked at surgery and maternity at the Conquest Hospital and outpatients at Eastbourne DGH.

In addition to the report on the quality of Trust’s services, a new report has also been published on the Trust’s ‘Use of Resources’.

This review, undertaken by NHS Improvement, is an assessment of how effectively the Trust uses resources and covers finances, workforce, estates and facilities, technology and procurement. The Trust is rated ‘Requires Improvement’ for Use of Resources, although the report recognises that the Trust compares well against others across a number of measures of efficiency and acknowledges its focus on achieving financial sustainability. The Trust is on plan for a £10m deficit in 2019/20 and break even in 2020/21.

The full report can be viewed on the CQC website

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