Struggling trust CEO says provider has ‘turned dial’ following care scandals

A mental health trust at the centre of several care scandals has ‘turned the dial’ on improvement, its chief executive has said, following the Care Quality Commission noting some progress but retaining a ‘requires improvement’ rating

The CQC said earlier this month that improvements had been made at some services at Tees Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust, including for its forensic secure inpatient service, where the rating was raised from “inadequate” to “good”. But the improvements were not enough to shift its overall “requires improvement” rating.

Chief executive officer Brent Kilmurray argued the CQC report was evidence the trust was going in the right direction following a number of highly critical reports relating to patient deaths, but he also told HSJ it was a “challenge” for the trust to “tell a balanced story around where we are making progress”.

TEWV has recently admitted care failings relating to the deaths of two inpatients in 2019 and 2020, following prosecution from the CQC. The trust will go on trial for alleged failings relating to another death in February next year.

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Source: HSJ, 6 November 2023