DOUGLAS HOUSE HOSPITAL

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust’s services for local people have been awarded top marks, according to a top independent report published on Thursday, 15 October 2009.

The Trust is one of only 37 UK trusts which has been rated ‘Excellent’ for both its ‘Quality of Services’ and ‘Quality of Financial Management’ in the Care Quality Commission’s Annual Health Check.

It is the fourth year running that the Trust has achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating for the quality of its services (which encompasses the safety of patients, cleanliness and waiting times) - all the more impressive as the overall number of mental health trusts achieving ‘Excellent’ this year has more than halved, from 64% to 30%, compared to twelve months ago.

It is also the second year running that the Trust had scored an ‘Excellent’ rating for its quality of financial management – giving the Trust a ’Double Excellent’ score and putting it in the top 10 per cent of all the 392 NHS trusts in England.

In addition, the consistently high standards see Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust once again in the top four (out of 40 trusts) in the whole of the South West of England and it is the only Trust in the region to retain its ‘Double Excellent’ status from last year.

The Trust submitted its latest declaration of compliance with national Standards for Better Health to the Care Quality Commission on 26th November 2009. This will form part of the Trust’s Annual Health Check rating for 2009/10 which will be published in October 2010.

Roger Browning, Chief Executive, commented: “In recent years we have consistently achieved some of the highest healthcare standards in the UK, which is excellent news for local people.