Basildon University Hospital

Leaders had the experience, capability and integrity to ensure the services’ vision could be delivered. They were knowledgeable about issues and priorities for the quality of services and could access appropriate support and development in their role. Although leaders told us they visited clinical areas as often as possible, staff told us senior maternity staff and leaders were not always visible. There were clear governance, management and accountability arrangements, however, processes were not always effective. Staff understood their role and responsibilities. Managers accounted for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff. There were systems in place to manage current and future performance and risks to the quality of the service. There were arrangements for the availability, integrity and confidentiality of data, records and data management systems. Information was used effectively to monitor and improve the quality of care. Leaders implemented relevant quality frameworks, recognised standards and best practices to improve equity in experience and outcomes for people using services and tackle known inequalities. Staff and leaders had a good understanding of how to make improvement happen. There were processes in place to ensure that learning happens when things go wrong. The service had strong external relationships to support improvement and innovation. Staff and leaders engaged with external work, including research, to embed evidence-based practice.