SOLENT NHS Trust, which provides community and mental health care services across Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth, has been praised for its improvements by inspectors after receiving a rating of’Good’.

Back in 2016 the trust was told to do better as part of a report which criticised its safety, effectiveness, and leadership.

But now examiners have given the trust the thumbs up, even noting that the care the organisation provides was deemed to be ‘Outstanding’.

This ruling has been welcomed by chiefs at the trust, which runs services at hospitals including Hythe Hospital, Princess Anne Hospital, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, and Southampton General Hospital.

Released today (Feb 26), the report noted that ‘Outstanding’ areas included “the vision and purpose” of the organisation as well as the “strong medical leadership” and also “the way in which the trust actively engage in collaborative work with external partners”.

Inspectors also found that the community adults services “planned and provided services in a way that met the needs of local residents”; and services were “organised and delivered to take account of and meet the needs of different people”, including those in vulnerable circumstances.

It was also noted that there was “effective cross team working” between staff in different departments as well as organisations outside of the trust.

Within the mental health services and throughout the trust as a whole, inspectors found staff were “respectful, compassionate and kind” towards patients. Inspectors noted that they observed conversations between staff and patients demonstrating highly motivated care provided in a way that promoted patient’s dignity.

Inspectors also said that there were rigorous systems in place to keep staff and patients safe, with staff assessing and reviewing patient risk regularly.

Sue Harriman, chief executive of Solent NHS Trust, said: “This is a very positive report for the trust.

“The results are a tribute to our teams who consistently give great care, create a great place to work and keep people safe and well at, or close to, home.

“I’m especially proud that the CQC found that we are ‘Outstanding’ at providing caring services. Every day I see, and hear, examples of innovative and inspirational patient care, and I know these ratings are well deserved.”

She added: “We pride ourselves on being an organisation with improvement and learning at its core, and this report is a testament to that.

“There will always be areas where we can do better to ensure we provide people with the very best services. There are some areas where more work is required, and we welcome the CQC’s findings.

“We strive for excellence and will embrace the learning opportunities the report provides.”

Dr Nigel Acheson, CQC’s deputy chief inspector of hospitals for the south, added: “Since we last inspected, staff at Solent NHS Trust has worked to ensure that improvements have been embedded.

“I am pleased that the trust has taken to heart the findings from our previous inspection reports and built on them to provide improved services to the people of Hampshire.

“I also want to congratulate them from moving from Requires Improvement to achieving their overall Good rating.

“However, there are some areas within the trust that still need work, but the board leadership are already of aware of these areas We will return at a later date to check on the further progress the trust has made.”