St Richard's Hospital Chichester rated 'outstanding' again

Western Sussex Hospitals is the first non-specialist acute trust in the country to be rated ‘outstanding’ in all the key inspection areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission, improving upon the trust’s first ‘Outstanding’ rating from four years ago.

The government’s health watchdog awarded the highest possible rating for services at Worthing Hospital, St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and Southlands in Shoreham-by- Sea, following an inspection process which took place from June to August this year.

CQC inspectors determined services at the NHS Foundation Trust are safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led and resourced properly — with each category receiving an ‘outstanding’ rating.

The trust’s new CQC report, published today (Tuesday October 22), also confirms Western Sussex Hospitals as the first-ever acute trust to be rated ‘outstanding’ for the safety of its services.

Chief executive Dame Marianne Griffiths said: “Our staff and volunteers are phenomenal and I am absolutely thrilled the CQC has recognised this by establishing Western Sussex Hospitals as the first non-specialist acute hospital trust to receive a clean sweep of ‘outstanding’ awards.

“For staff to surpass the ‘outstanding’ results we achieved from our last inspection four years ago is remarkable in its own right – but to do so in the context of us now seeing 55 more people in A and E every day, 4,200 more people in outpatients every month, and 5,000 more inpatients each year, is frankly heroic.