HOSPITAL inspectors will descend on Southampton this month as part of a major new drive to expose any poor standards of care.

The Care Quality Commission is to inspect Southampton General and Princess Anne hospitals as part of a larger, more in-depth assessment of healthcare in the city.

Up to 70 inspectors will be reviewing standards at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs both hospitals, as well as some other health services.

And members of the public are being asked to give their views at a special meeting on December 9 to help shape what areas inspectors will look at.

Chief Inspector Professor Sir Mike Richards announced last year that he will lead significantly larger inspection teams than before, headed up by clinical and other experts including trained members of the public.

Sir Mike said: “The new inspections are designed to provide people with a clear picture of the quality of the services in their local hospital, exposing poor or mediocre care as well as highlighting the many hospitals providing good and excellent care.

“We know there is too much variation in quality – these new in-depth inspections will allow us to get a much more detailed picture of care in hospitals than ever before.

“Of course we will be talking to doctors and nurses, hospital managers and patients at the trust.

“But it is vital that we also hear the views of the people who have received care at the trust, or anyone who wants to share information with us.

“This will help us plan our inspection, and so help us focus on the things that really matter to people who depend on this service.”

He added: “This is your opportunity to tell the team what you think, and make a difference to the NHS services in the local area.”

The team will initially look at eight key areas – A&E, medical care including elderly, surgery, intensive care, maternity, children’s care, end of life care and outpatients.

It will be one of the first hospital trusts to be graded by the CQC and a full report will be published at a later date.

The public meeting takes place at the Mercure South-ampton Centre Dolphin Hotel in Southampton High Street at 6.30pm, on December 9.

People are encouraged to share their experiences over the past year and identify where they think improvements can be made.

To register to attend visit cqc.org.uk.