The NHS is monitored closely and this section includes a summary selection of clinical and performance information about our Trust. Copies of the full reports are available from the report authors’ websites.

Care Quality Commission registration

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who regulate and help improve care provided by the NHS. We achieved registration without conditions effective from 1 April 2010.

Trusts must show the CQC that they meet standards of quality and safety – such as treating people with respect,  involving patients in their care, maintaining patient safety and keeping environments clean. The CQC will regularly monitor trusts against these standards. 

Infection rates continue to drop at Buckinghamshire hospitals

Figures from the Health Protection Agency in July 2011, showed that infections across the NHS in Buckinghamshire continue to remain low in our hospitals for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) and MRSA bacteraemia (bloodstream infections).

The Trust received excellent results for its MRSA bacteraemia figures for 2010/2011, which show that Buckinghamshire acute hospitals had well below the national average of MRSA bacteraemia cases per 10,000 bed days, reporting only 1.6 cases against an average of 3.9 nationally. This figure was joint second lowest for all acute trusts in our Strategic Health Authority area, which includes Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. 

The Trust has also performed well regarding the rate of C.difficile infections in patients aged two and over, per 10,000 bed days, reporting 26.4 cases compared to the national average of 28.2 cases.

Our environment 2011

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust received an unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during June 2011 to look at our acute hospital services for older people, as part of a national review.

We were delighted that the CQC were extremely satisfied with the care provided in the areas of dignity and respect, and nutrition at our hospitals, following the unannounced visit to Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Figures released in October 2011 by SSentif, which analysed figures from over 200 NHS trusts, highlighted Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust as having the lowest level of meals returned uneaten across the country.

These figures clearly show the Trust really cares about the quality and choice of foods available to patients.

In addition to these figures, this year’s Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) report, rates the quality of food available at Amersham, Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe hospitals as ‘excellent’, while our community hospitals at Thame and Marlow also received ‘excellent’ scores. 

The Trust’s hospitals have also performed well when it comes to food safety standards with Buckingham Community Hospital and Stoke Mandeville Hospital recently being presented with an Elite Award by Aylesbury Vale District Council, for food businesses in north Buckinghamshire that have maintained consistently high food safety standards.

Maternity review 2011

A reecnt national survey, commissioned by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), asked women across the country about the care they received during pregnancy, labour and birth. Our results rated us as one of the top performing trusts in the region.

Our midwives support movement during labour and encourage our mums-to-be to use our birthing pools and birthing balls to help ease pain and discomfort. We were really pleased that the survey revealed that many of our new mums felt they were given the freedom to move around during their labour.

We also encourage skin-to-skin contact between mum and baby as soon as possible to help with bonding and this was also recognised in the survey.