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Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust is making progress but the pace of change needs to increase, the Care Quality Commission said today (Thursday, December 17).

CQC's predecessor, the Healthcare Commission published a report following an investigation into mortality rates in emergency care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in March 2009.

In September CQC made a number of unannounced visits to carry out the second of its three formal progress checks at the trust.

Publishing its progress report, the regulator said:

• The trust is continuing to build on improvements seen in our three month review - this includes having a system in place to ensure medical equipment is available and maintained
• The trust has closed its clinical decision unit (CDU) as part of its action plan to improve emergency care and address patient safety issues
• The trust is now taking seriously information about mortality rates

But:

• Progress has been slow in recruiting permanent nursing staff
• Urgent action is required to improve timely discharge of patients
• The trust must continue to build public confidence. To do this, it needs to communicate better with the local community and demonstrate how it uses feedback from patients and the public.

In addition, the Commission said it will monitor the implementation of recommendations made as a result of a review by the Royal College of Surgeons.

CQC is also working closely with Monitor, the regulator of foundation trusts, to share information and ensure that regulation continues to drive improvements at the trust.

Andrea Gordon, regional director for CQC in the West Midlands, said: "We are satisfied that Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has sustained the improvements we noted in our three month review.

"The new leadership at the trust is already making a positive contribution and we would expect this to bring further stability to the organisation.

"On CQC's six month follow up review we found that while some progress had been made against the trust's action plan, more still needs to be done. Some elements of the action plan had either not yet taken place or progress was slow.

"Permanent staffing levels remain a concern and this must improve. Although there had been some change, there was still a shortfall in permanent nursing staff and the trust was still using bank and agency staff to supplement numbers.

"We are aware that the trust is working to address these issues but there is still some way to go."

On emergency care she added: "The trust needs to ensure patient care is appropriately managed to improve the overall patient experience including discharging people in timely manner.

"As well as speaking to staff, CQC spoke to patients and relatives while at the trust and, when questioned, the majority of patients were happy with the care they received. However there were exceptions and the trust needs to further develop its systems for responding to complaints and feedback from patients.

CQC will continue to liaise with the trust and to monitor its progress and Andrea Gordon said: "The next planned formal review against the trust's action plan is scheduled for spring 2010, when we will also report on those issues identified as part of this six month follow up."

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For further information contact the Care Quality Commission's regional communications manager, Louise Grifferty on: 0121 600 5365 or 07717 422917. Or contact the national media office in London on 0207 448 9401 or on 07917 232143 out of hours.

Notes to editors

Following on from the investigation at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, the CQC is conducting follow-up checks at three, six and twelve month intervals.

• Find the original investigation report, the three month follow-up and today's six month follow-up report

About the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of all health and adult social care in England. We inspect all health and adult social care services in England, whether they're provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies or voluntary organisations. We also seek to protect the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act. We make sure that essential common standards of quality are met everywhere care is provided, from hospitals to private care homes, and we work towards their improvement. We promote the rights and interests of people who use services and we have a wide range of enforcement powers to take action on their behalf if services are unacceptably poor.

Our work brings together (for the first time) independent regulation of health, mental health and adult social care. Before 1 April 2009, this work was carried out by the Healthcare Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Our aim is to make sure that better care is provided for everyone, whether it is in hospital, in care homes, in people's own homes, or anywhere else that care is provided.

Registration: The National Minimum Standards (for adult social care and independent healthcare) and the Standards for Better Health (for the NHS) are being replaced by essential standards of quality and safety across the care sector. From April 2010, all health and adult social care providers will be required by law to register with CQC and must show that they are meeting these new standards. Registration isn't just about initial registration. It encompasses initial registration, monitoring and checking of ongoing compliance, inspection and enforcement.