CQC rates leadership at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust as good

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated leadership at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust as good following an inspection in April.

The trust provides mental health, learning disability and autism services for people of all ages, alongside children’s community health services, to a population of around one million people across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Around 4,100 staff work across the trust’s 140 services and 40 sites, including 22 wards across six hospital sites. Approximately 5,000 people use its services each day.

CQC carried out the inspection as part of its routine monitoring of services. The trust was also previously rated good for how well-led it was under CQC’s previous methodology.

Inspectors found a strong culture of compassionate care, with staff proud of the support they provided and senior leaders described as visible, approachable and clinically experienced. Leaders were also well regarded by people using services and partner organisations.

The trust was praised for its relationships with local councils, health services and voluntary organisations, which inspectors found were helping to provide more joined-up care across Coventry and Warwickshire.

More than 1,000 staff have been trained in quality improvement methods, supporting staff-led work to improve services. Inspectors also found established systems for reporting, investigating and learning from incidents, with information used to identify themes and trends.

Leaders were found to have a good understanding of the main risks facing the organisation, with plans and measures in place to manage them.

However, inspectors identified areas where further improvement was needed. Staff had experienced several years of significant change, leaving some feeling burnt out and uncertain about the future. While most staff felt able to speak up without fear of repercussions, some had lost confidence in the trust’s process for raising concerns. CQC found that work was underway to improve this.

Concerns were also raised about proposals for major service changes, including ward closures. Staff told inspectors that some proposals lacked detail and had not sufficiently considered the views of employees or people using the trust’s services.

CQC also found the trust did not always have access to good-quality performance data, making it more difficult for leaders to accurately monitor performance and respond when necessary.

Gemma Berry, CQC deputy director of mental health in the West Midlands, said inspectors had found a strong culture of care and compassion and that staff, leaders and stakeholders were positive about the trust’s future.

CQC said it was encouraged by the leadership team’s commitment to creating an environment where good care could thrive and by its work with partners to improve people’s experiences.

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