Holy Cross Hospital, Haslemere is celebrating double success following some high-level praise.

In February, the Care Quality Commission made an unannounced, routine inspection of the Hospital. The commission is the regulator of health and social care in England and checks that hospitals and care providers are meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

The inspector observed five areas of the Hospital’s work. This included checking that: staff seek patient consent before giving care or treatment; people receive safe and appropriate care that meets their needs and supports their rights; patients receive coordinated care when they move between different services; enough members of staff are provided to keep people safe and to meet their health and welfare needs and systems are in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provision.

To gain a true insight into the Hospital’s practices, the inspector observed how people were cared for at each stage of their treatment and care and spoke with patients and staff. At the end of the inspection, the inspector concluded that all standards are being met, which is the best possible outcome the Hospital could have achieved.

Speaking about the findings of the inspection, which have been published in a publicly available report, Christopher Hinton, Chief Executive at Holy Cross Hospital says: “Although I am confident that we have appropriate systems in place to ensure good standards of care, it is always reassuring to receive an independent endorsement of our work. I am extremely pleased with the outcome of the inspection and the recognition the report gives to everybody who is involved with the provision of care at Holy Cross.”

In its report, the Care Quality Commission inspector highlighted evidence that demonstrates how staff are well-trained, encouraged and supported to develop their skills and are happy to be part of the Holy Cross team.

This value that Holy Cross places on its staff at both the Hospital and The Physiotherapy Centre, has led to the Hospital gaining a nationally accredited award. For the fifth consecutive time, Holy Cross Hospital has been awarded the Investors in People standard for the way it develops, supports and motivates its team.

Christopher Hinton says: “We first applied for recognition as an Investor in People in 1999. Following our inspection in January, we are very pleased to retain the status of an Investor in People. Our staff are our greatest asset, we value them highly and it makes perfect business sense to invest in them continuously."

The Investors in People framework helps organisations to achieve their objectives. Organisations that have met the standard generally have lower staff turnover and sickness and staff who are engaged and productive.

The Care Quality Commission’s report and information about working at Holy Cross Hospital can be found at www.holycross.org.uk.