Healthcare Watchdog Rates Milton Keynes Hospital as ‘Good’

Care Quality Commission’s Annual Health Check 2008/09

Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been given a clean bill of health having achieved ratings of ‘good’ for quality of services and ‘good’ for quality of financial management in the Care Quality Commission’s national annual health check, which is designed to drive forward improvements in healthcare for patients.

The annual health check examines healthcare provision, and the steps taken to make and sustain ongoing improvements. The achievement of ‘good’ for services means that the Trust received at least the second highest score for all assessments that contribute to the overall quality score.

The health check looks at a wide range of areas, from the overall quality of care – including safety of patients, cleanliness and waiting times – to how well trusts manage their finances.

The annual health check is the system for assessing and rating the performance of NHS healthcare organisations in England and aims to give the public a comprehensive picture of local NHS healthcare organisations.  
 
Jill Rodney, Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am pleased that the Trust is regarded as ‘good’. Our performance is testament to the hard work and dedication of all staff, whose efforts have been rightly rewarded with such a positive assessment from the Care Quality Commission.
 
“We have achieved ‘good’ for quality of services and ‘good ’ for quality of financial management, which shows our dedication towards delivering the right treatment at the right time to meet the needs of the people we serve.

“Our vision is to be the hospital of choice. We continue to invest in our services to ensure that the healthcare needs of local people are met, and that the care we provide is second to none.

“Over the 2008/09 year we invested heavily in improving services for local people. For example, we continued our programme of refurbishments and recently completed a £4.6 million state-of-the-art Endoscopy Unit and new 22-bed ward, which provides single room accommodation for 70% of patients. These essential investments have led to our financial management score decreasing slightly, when compared with last year’s results.”
 
Work is ongoing to improve care. For example, Milton Keynes hospital has recently completed work to maximise single sex accommodation to protect patient privacy and dignity and has developed data collection to demonstrate service improvements.

The full results can be found on the Care Quality Commission’s website: http://www.cqc.org.uk.

For more information, high resolution images, and interviews contact: Jenny Murray, Communications Manager, Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Tel: 01908 243922, Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Note for editors:

Performance ratings for the purposes of the health check have two elements - quality of services and quality of financial management. The systems assess each on a scale of ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘fair’ or ‘weak’.

Milton Keynes Hospital was one of several trusts to receive an inspection over the summer, as part of our core standards assessment process. As a result of the visit, no amendments were made to the trust’s original core standards declaration.