West Herts Hospitals are getting better - except for Hemel Hempstead

The trust, which runs Hemel Hempstead, Watford and 
St Albans hospitals, was 
inspected by the Care 
Quality Commission (CQC) in September.

Inspectors gave Watford, St Albans, and the trust as a whole, an improved rating, 
as all three went from 
‘Inadequate’ to ‘Requires 
Improvement’.

But Hemel is still rated 
as Inadequate - the worst 
possible rating.

Chief executive Katie 
Fisher gave the report a cautious welcome.

She said: “We welcome the report which reflects the 
sustained improvements we have made and continue to make.

“I hope that people from Dacorum who have been treated in our main hospital in 
Watford have noticed our efforts. For those whose care is closer to home at Hemel Hemsptead Hospital, we know the shift in the overall rating for the site may be disappointing.

“However, I am confident that our plans for Simpson Ward, which is our only ward on the site, will result in a better patient experience.

“I would like to congratulate staff at Hemel for achieving a ‘good’ for outpatients and diagnostics and also pass on my thanks to staff in areas 
where we took immediate 
action to address issues raised by the inspectors.”

The rating for Hemel 
Hospital was also split into 
different areas.

The Medical Centre was rated as ‘Inadequate’ and the Urgent Care Centre ‘Requires Improvement’. Only Outpatients and diagnostic imaging was rated ‘Good’.

Trust chairman Professor Steve Barnett said: “The inspection in September was just one step in our journey to raise our standards higher

still. Nearly seven months have passed and if the CQC visited us now, I’m confident they

would see many more improvements resulting in an even better set of ratings.”