Professor Sir Mike Richards, England’s chief inspector of hospitals, has praised Darent Valley Hospital for their services.
In his report for the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Professor Richards stated:
“We found that most of the services at Darent Valley Hospital were good. The majority of patients told my team that they were happy with the care and treatment that they had received, and we identified a number of examples of good practice.
“Overall, we found a culture where staff were positive, engaged and very loyal to the organisation, and the staff and management at the hospital were open and transparent about the challenges they faced.”
Although there were certain improvements that the report states needed to be made – mainly to the A&E department – there was plenty of positive feedback.
- There is a discharge team which ensures patients are discharged in a safe and effective manner.
- There are more midwives in order to cope with patients admitted to the improved maternity unit.
- The end of life care that is provided by the hospital is safe, caring and effective.
There have been two visits by the CQC to Darwent Valley Hospital. The first, a scheduled meeting where trained professionals spent two days examining all of the hospital’s processes, and the second, an unannounced visit where staff and members of the public were also met.