Chief Executive Stakeholder newsletter – May 2024
Hello all,
Over the last month we have introduced a number of new or improved patient facing services to help deliver more for our patients – including launching a new Acute Frailty Service and a new mobile CT scanning service, and officially opening our new and improved Children’s Day Procedure Unit.
Our services
Our new Acute Frailty Service
At the start of May we launched a new Acute Frailty Service to improve outcomes and deliver safe, higher quality care for our frail and older patients. By more rapidly identifying the seemingly smaller healthcare issues that affect this group of patients and ensuring the right care is provided straight away – we can help avoid them developing into a much more complex condition which can keep patients in hospital for longer and reduce their chances of being discharged back to their original place of residence. The service is made up of a new multi-professional team of frailty and elderly medicine specialists within East Surrey Hospital - bringing specialist frail and elderly care to people who need it, earlier in the acute pathway.
New mobile CT scanner
In May, we launched a new mobile CT scanner at Crawley Hospital to help increase capacity for outpatient diagnostic appointments for the local community. The service, which is being delivered in partnership with Medneo, is now operating seven days a week from 7:30am to 8.00pm and see almost 1,000 patients a month. The new mobile scanner means faster and more convenient access to CT scans for patients who live in Crawley – reducing waiting times across the Trust and ensuring more patients get the vital answers they need to healthcare concerns such as cancers, strokes and heart disease sooner. The new mobile scanner is a vital milestone in the Trust’s wider community diagnostic work in Crawley - which aims to increase local access to a range of tests and checks for those who live in the area, reducing the number of patients who need to travel to and from East Surrey Hospital.
Martha’s rule
Earlier this year NHS England announced the rollout of ‘Martha’s Rule’ in hospitals across England from April as part of a new patient safety initiative. I am pleased to report that earlier this month East Surrey Hospital was selected as one of the first 143 hospitals to launch the new programme, which will strengthen patient safety and give patients and families the chance to seek an urgent second opinion if they or their loved one are in a deteriorating critical condition. I look forward to sharing more as this work progresses.
Our partners
Working together with our GP colleagues
Last week we welcomed GP colleagues from across Surrey to East Surrey Hospital to meet with our Consultants – to support us all to work more closely together for our patients. Topics discussed included internal referrals, direct access imaging and the Surrey care record. Our CMO, Ed Cetti, will be arranging more of these meetings in the future involving GP’s from across Sussex and Surrey.
Getting It Right First Time
In May we also attended a regional meeting on the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, where our general surgery teams were recognised for their top performance in Surrey for day case rates, reducing length of stay and lowering the number of patients being re-admitted.
Taking our improvement journey international
We recently welcomed healthcare colleagues from Nova Scotia who visited the Trust to understand what we are doing to improve outcomes through reducing length of stay and preventing delayed discharge. It’s always great to be able to share our journey and our learnings when we can, and the team said they witnessed leadership and empowerment from staff in all the areas they visited, and that there was a genuine sense of partnership and shared ambition to support people to live healthier, longer lives at home. They also left with a sense of hope after seeing our improvements to date and our resolution to keep improving for our patients and staff, which is of course great news.
Trust news
Children’s Day Procedure Unit
This month I took part in the official opening for the new and improved Children’s Day Procedure Unit which was recently transformed into a more welcoming, vibrant and child-friendly environment for young patients undergoing treatment at East Surrey Hospital. CDPU now cares for young patients having day surgery and elective procedures that previously took place on Outwood ward – freeing up vital space for the increased pressures we see over the busy winter months. The revamp was made possible thanks to the generous donation of SkinSense CEO Abi Cleeve, who donated £12,000 to SASH Charity earlier this year. It’s a brilliant example of the work our charity does with donors every day to improve the lives and experiences of our patients and those that work with them.
Double win for Sterilisation and Decontamination Team
The Hospital Sterilisation and Decontamination Unit has recently achieved not one, but two remarkable milestones, solidifying their reputation as leaders in the field. Firstly, the team successfully completed the conversion of the Hospital Sterilisation and Decontamination Unit from the CE mark to the new British-standard UKCA mark. You can find out more about what this mark means here. This transition not only highlights the Trust’s commitment to compliance but also ensures the maintenance of the highest standards, allowing us continued provision of services to GPs and other Trusts. Building on this success, the team faced an unannounced inspection by the British Standards Institute and passed with flying colours - not only demonstrating the team's capability but also setting a benchmark for quality and professionalism within the NHS.
Maternity Sanctuary Award
This month our maternity team was honoured with the prestigious Maternity Stream of Sanctuary Award after the awarding panel expressed being "blown away" by the team’s application. The award from Maternity Stream of Sanctuary recognises the team’s continuous efforts and improvements in providing care for pregnant asylum seekers who can frequently encounter poor maternity outcomes, such as increased rates in miscarriages, stillbirths, birth trauma, and maternal mortality