LAST week’s announcement that Wye Valley NHS Trust has gone into special measures following a Care Quality Commission inspection took many people by surprise.

There will be those who will say it is deserved, but judging by the number of telephone calls of support the trust has received, many found the news surprising.

One thing is clear – while there are areas of significant concern, particularly around how we manage patients in the A&E department where we face big increases in demand, the overall tone of the CQC report nevertheless highlights an enthusiastic, caring, professional and dedicated team of staff who provide safe and compassionate care right across the organisation.

Indeed, it is upon this firm foundation that we shall tackle those areas of challenge.

You have my commitment, as chief executive of the trust, that we shall seize the opportunities and support that special measures bring, and be a better organisation in 12 months’ time. The inspection was four months ago – the good news is that we had already begun the journey with many improvements under way before the inspection and many more since.

During the coming year we will have plenty of information on how we are progressing with that journey and I look forward to sharing this with you.

RICHARD BEEKEN Chief Executive, Wye Valley NHS Trust, Hereford