NHSLA Level 3 Success

Christmas came early for staff at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust when they were told that they had achieved NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) Level 3 following a rigorous two day assessment recently.

We are one of only seven Trusts in the country to have been awarded Level 3 across both general and maternity services.

Following the assessment the NHSLA said: "The Trust is to be congratulated on achieving Level 3 with the NHSLA Risk Management Standards for NHS Trusts Providing Acute Services.  This is the first time in the organisation's history this level of assessment has been undertaken and it is the culmination of a significant amount of work embedded organisation-wide over a number of years."

We were assessed against five standards each containing ten criteria giving a total possible score of 50.  In order to be successful Trusts must achieve a score of at least 40.  We scored 44, with a maximum of 10 out of 10 for 'Learning from Experience'.  Other categories assessed were:

• ·        Governance
• ·        Competent and Capable Workforce
• ·        Safe Environment
• ·        Clinical Care

Bob Pearson, Medical Director says: "We are delighted with the result which reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff.  Patients should be reassured that our hospitals have achieved the highest assessment level."

The Trust will be re-assessed in two years to ensure that the good practice is maintained and to incorporate new areas such as community services.

For further details about the NHSLA standards: http://www.nhsla.com/RiskManagement/