Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors have handed down high praise to the Public Health Nursing Service at North East Lincolnshire Council rating it ‘good’ overall, in a report published today.
Inspectors, in the first CQC Inspection of the service where a rating has been given, noted staff’s ‘compassion and kindness’ and the ‘good care’ towards children, young people and families.
North East Lincolnshire’s Public Health Nursing Service offers a range of universal services spanning pregnancy to age 19 – up to age 25 for those with special educational needs and disability. It includes health visiting, school nursing, infant feeding peer support, safeguarding health, and immunisations – work that plays a key role in improving children and young people’s health.
Inspectors visited the Borough in June and spoke directly with partners, staff, parents and carers, children, and young people, including through family sessions, to seek feedback.
Key areas lauded, some with excellent practice, were:
- The service has enough staff to care for children and young people and keep them safe;
- Staff understand how to protect children and young people from abuse, and manage safety well;
- They assess risks to children and young people, act on them and keep good care records;
- They manage safety incidents and learn lessons from them;
- Good care and treatment is provided;
- Staff work well together for the benefit of children and young people, advise them and their families on how to lead healthier lives, and support them to make decisions about their care;
- They treat children and young people with compassion and kindness.
The report goes on to say how the service ‘plans care to meet the needs of local people, respects their privacy and dignity, takes account of their individual needs, and helps them understand their conditions’.
It adds: “Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. [Staff] They felt respected, supported, and valued. The service engaged well with children, young people, and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to continually improving services.”
Inspectors rated four out of the five areas as ‘good’, leading to the overall ‘good’ rating.
North East Lincolnshire Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Stan Shreeve, whose Portfolio includes responsibility for Public Health: “This is an extremely strong inspection report and I would personally like to thank all the staff here for their dedication and commitment, which comes over loud and clear.
“There is real evidence here that we are achieving some real success in optimising outcomes for our children and young people throughout childhood. This will enable them to flourish and play their part in a successful future for North East Lincolnshire.”
The full report is online at: https://api.cqc.org.uk/public/v1/reports/7b053f1b-4d88-4bdc-9a51-70535ae08dcb?20230814090046
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