We believe in being transparent and accountable about the care and treatment we provide.
Care Quality Commission
Our Trust is assessed periodically by the Care Quality Commission on quality standards and on a range of performance indicators.
In September 2018, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected our hospitals and published a report that rated the Trust ‘Good’ (opens in a new tab).
An inspection of Cambridge and Peterborough's urgent and emergency care system (in conjunction with the CQC inspection of urgent and emergency care and medicine at CUH (core services) was carried out in March 2022. The CQC inspection report for CUH is available on the CQC website. (opens in a new tab)
Our performance
We are proud to promote our achievements and we also want to be open about what we could do better.
Performance is measured against guidelines and targets set by The Department of Health and Social Care and local commissioners. They relate to waiting times and key standards of care for a range of conditions and diseases.
Our board of directors meets in public six times a year and receives updates on a range of performance measures and targets from different areas of the Trust. The papers from each meeting are published on this site.
Guidelines and targets
The Department of Health and Social Care and local commissioners set guidelines and targets for all NHS trusts relating to waiting times and key standards of care for a range of conditions and diseases.
National targets include:
- No more than two hospital-acquired MRSA bacteraemias
- No more than 41 cases of Clostridium difficile
- 93% of patients with symptoms of cancer seen within two weeks
- 31-day wait for subsequent cancer treatment
- 90% of patients receive treatment with 18 weeks from GP referral
- 95% of non-admitted patients receive treatment with 18 weeks from GP referral
- 85% of patients referred with suspected cancer treated within 62 days
- No more than 11 patients per week occupying an acute bed whose transfer of care was delayed
- 95% of A&E patients treated, admitted or discharged within four hours
- The Trust is one of 14 sites to pilot new emergency department standards from 22 May 2019 and therefore will be monitoring the four hour target internally (but not reporting externally) during this period
In addition, the Trust receives extra payments or incentives from local commissioners if we meet certain improvement goals – called CQUINS (Commissioning for Quality and Innovation). These change yearly and are also related to quality of care and patient experience for the treatment of conditions such as dementia and pressure ulcers.
Each month the board of directors hears how we are meeting these targets in the quality and performance report.
Our Trust's improvement plan
Our CQC improvement plan for 2022 to 2024, developed with our staff, considers the evolving landscape of regulation and learning. It brings together multiple quality and safety goals to monitor and continually improve service delivery and safety.
In September 2018, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected our hospitals and published a report that rated the Trust ‘Good’ (opens in a new tab).
A follow-up CQC inspection was expected in early 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this inspection was cancelled. Instead, specific visits to the Trust were carried out in 2020 and 2021 as part of the CQC’s Emergency Monitoring Framework.
An inspection of Cambridge and Peterborough's urgent and emergency care system (in conjunction with the CQC inspection of urgent and emergency care and medicine at CUH (core services) was carried out in March 2022. The CQC inspection report for CUH is available on the CQC website. (opens in a new tab) The Trust has also participated in a provider collaboration review (cancer services), and a national review of services for those with a learning disability and / or autism.
The Trust carried out an internal self-assessment against the CQC ’Well-Led’ and core service frameworks in 2021. These frameworks set out the expectations to meet the required standards in healthcare, which continue to evolve. The Trust has subsequently produced a plan or goals to continue to drive and monitor improvement against these standards going forward in addition to specific CQC feedback.
This improvement plan remains a dynamic document reviewed and updated on a regular basis in response to feedback from patients, partners and regulators. It will enable us to monitor and communicate the progress being made and to ensure it remains fit for purpose and continues to be reflective of the overall strategy and priorities of the Trust.
Care Quality Commission Maternity Services Inspection
In May 2023, the CQC reviewed maternity services at The Rosie Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (CUH) as part of a routine announced inspection. We are pleased that the report found our maternity services to be well-led. The CQC did, however, rate our maternity service as requiring improvement overall. This report does not change the CQC’s overall rating for CUH, which remains good.