Our rating of services stayed the same. We rated them as requires improvement.

A summary of this hospital appears in the overall summary above.

In 2013, the trust was identified nationally as having high mortality rates and it was one of 14 hospital trusts to be investigated by Sir Bruce Keogh (the Medical Director for NHS England) as part of the Keogh Mortality Review in July that year. After that review, the trust entered special measures.

We chose this hospital because they represented the variation in hospital care according to our new intelligent monitoring model. This looks at a wide range of data, including patient and staff surveys, hospital performance information, and the views of the public and local partner organisations. Using this model, Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust was considered to be a high risk trust.

We carried out an announced visit on 24 and 25 April 2014 and unannounced, out-of-hours visits on 29 April and 9 May 2014.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Overall, services at Newark Hospital required improvement.
• The operational link between Newark and King’s Mill Hospital was not robust.
• Staffing levels are not sufficient in some areas. 

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• Systems and processes in place in the pre-operative assessment department. The surgical department was very efficient and utilised their skill mix.

Importantly, the trust must:

• Ensure the use of current good practice in the Minor Injuries Unit
• Ensure there are appropriate numbers of staff in place for the care required. 

Professor Sir Mike Richards

Chief Inspector of Hospitals

Patients told us that they were treated with dignity and respect; staff ask before helping them with personal care and explain what they are doing when carrying out tests and treatments. They told us their needs were met quickly enough and although staff talk a little too fast at times, if they ask questions staff will answer them. Most patients we spoke to knew about relevant facilities such as a room where they can use a mobile phone, how to order a daily paper, the hospital shop and chapel. Patients and relatives told us the food was generally good with sufficient choice and support when needed. We found that some patients did not realise snacks were available but others told us when they missed a meal due to tests, staff checked if they would like something to eat before the next meal.