Professor Joe Harrison
In his first year as Chief Executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital, Joe helped the Trust to achieve the following:
•The launch of the WeCare programme following feedback from staff and patients
•£1.5million was invested in creating 100 new nursing roles, including fourty-eight healthcare assistants to study Dementia Care
•We introduced the new Women’s and Children’s division to drive new ways of working
•The brand new Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit (AECU) was officially opened by the Mayor of Milton Keynes
•Medical thoracoscopy services were launched in MK, reducing the need for patients to have to travel to London
•We reopened the Glaucoma Service, repatriating patients to Milton Keynes
After a very successful first year, Joe continue to drive forward new innovations at the hospital.
•Milton Keynes Hospital celebrated its 30th birthday
•A CQC inspection delivered an overall rating of ‘Requires Improvement’, although noting several areas of ‘Good’ practice
•Our first ‘home grown’ research trial was launched with the Medical Detection Dogs to detect prostate cancer
•Baroness Margaret Wall was appointed as Chair
•The first ever staff awards were held at Hilton Hotel in Kent’s Hill, with 100 staff in attendance
•A brand-new Patient Discharge Unit was opened, improving the experience of patients waiting to be discharged
•We opened a second chemotherapy suite, increasing capacity on site
•A dedicated X-ray room specifically for children opened to accommodate the increase in demand
In year three, we saw the first in a line of significant building works take place on site, with the closure of the main entrance.
•A partnership began with the University of Buckingham and we officially become Milton Keynes University Hospital on 2nd April 2015
•We announced an investment in a new electronic patient record system
•Free Wi-Fi for all was launched across all areas of the hospital
•The main entrance was closed, with the League of Friends shop relocating to the Eaglestone Restaurant
•Sexual health services returned to MKUH
•We joined the national ‘Hello My Name is…’ campaign as part of our ongoing mission to improve the experience of our patients
•We launched the hospital newspaper ‘The Check Up’ to better engage with the local community
Joe’s fourth year highlighted the importance of #TeamMKUH, with a second visit from the CQC, who rated the hospital ‘Good’.
In this year, there were a range of new services and initiatives launched for staff.
•The CQC revisited and rated the hospital ‘Good’ following an inspection of all services
•We launched the Peer2Peer (P2P) listening service
•We introduced a refreshed Trust strategy, objectives and values
•There was a launch of a Simulation and Clinical Skills suite, in advance of the Academic Centre opening
•We opened offices at Witan Gate, with 120 staff moving to accommodation in central Milton Keynes
•We launched a dedicated home birth service to increase choice for new families
2017 saw the opening of two brand-new facilities as well as the launch of a creative new approach to staff engagement
•We opened the new main entrance, creating a welcoming front entrance to the hospital
•We opened Ward 24, our elective surgical ward
•The start of construction work on the Academic Centre was marked with the burial of a time capsule
•We rebranded our Occupational Health service to Staff Health and Wellbeing, recognising the Trust’s commitment to supporting colleagues
•Our inaugural Event in the Tent took place, with over 1,000 staff attending
•We started our campaign to become a smoke-free site
•The first cohort of new junior doctors started their two year training programme, following our partnership with the University of Buckingham
•Our Dementia Café opened, improving the experience of patients with dementia
•Our Hug in a Bag initiative was crowned winner of the ‘Emergency and Critical Care’ category at the Nursing Times Awards
2018 was a big year for #TeamMKUH, with the introduction of The MK Way. These four core values were established through collaboration with many staff groups to reflect what the organisation stands for and how we expect our teams to act.
•We had the official opening of the Academic Centre, with the Duke of Kent in attendance
•We launched the MK Way – a new strategy and set of values following feedback from staff
•Phase one of eCARE was introduced to various areas across MKUH
•There was an introduction of two Freedom to Speak Up Guardians to improve ways for staff to raise concerns
•We opened the Acorn Suite to increase capacity in the Emergency Department. This included the opening of a dedicated Paediatric ED
•We launched the MyCARE portal to enable patients to have more control over their appointments
•The NHS’ 70th birthday was marked with various celebrations with staff and patients
In 2019, we continued our work to improve how we communicate and support our staff, with the initial launch of our staff networks, including the BAME, Ability and Pride Networks.
•In early 2019, we launched the new intranet and website, to improve how we communicate both internally and externally
•We had an unannounced CQC inspection which saw the Trust retain our ‘Good’ rating, with outstanding practice noted in areas of maternity and medicine
•We introduced the CMR Versius surgical robot, facilitating faster recovery time for patients
•We started offering outpatient induction of labour to pregnant women, allowing them to go home safely after being induced
•We opened our Car Park G staff car park at the rear of the Cancer Centre construction site
2020 was a year unlike any other. #TeamMKUH pulled together to ensure that the Trust kept as many services operating as safely as possible. Despite being a really challenging time, with so many under intense pressure, we still continued to achieve great things.
•We opened the Cancer Centre, co-locating all cancer services under one roof for our paitents
•We became one of two UK hospitals to integrate health records with the Apple Health app
•The Hold my Hand initiative was launched to support patients nearing the end of life
•Several other initiatives were launched to support visiting during the pandemic
•We opened the Staff Hub, providing dedicated facilities for all staff to take a break
•We became one of the first Covid-19 vaccination hubs, delivering the first vaccination in the East of England
•Funding was announced for the New Hospital Programme
2021 saw the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a Trust, we did not know what the next months would bring. Although we faced uncertain times, we were not without hope and optimism for the future.
•A virtual patient information library was launched on our website to improve accessibility of information
•Solar panels were introduced across the site to increase on-site electricity generation and reduce our carbon emissions
•The next phase of eCARE was implemented across theatres, anaesthetics, paediatrics and the Intensive Care Unit
•A mobile version of the Friends and Family Test was launched in Outpatients, enabling patients to provide their feedback onthe-go
•The construction of our brand-new Maple Centre began
•Our Transitional Care Unit was opened to help keep new mothers and their babies together when the newborn needs additional care
In 2022, there was a huge focus on the development of not only the Trust itself, but #TeamMKUH too.
We focused on staff and patient wellbeing, including the following:
•The brand-new Maple Centre was officially opened
•Ground works began on the new Radiotherapy Centre
•The Empathic Building pilot was launched in the Cancer Centre to understand and improve our ways of working
•MKUH was awarded Global Digital Exemplar status by NHS England
•The new outpatient pharmacy opened in the main entrance
•MyCARE integrated with the NHS App to provide one central platform for patients to view their medical information
•Our biggest ever staff awards took place, with almost 400 staff attending
•AccessAble platform was launched to enable visitors with accessibility requirements to have all the information they need before arriving on site
•The MKUH Green Plan was unveiled, announcing our ambition to be net carbon zero by 2030
Only one month into Joe’s 11th year as Chief Executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital, we have already achieved so much.
•A new Diabetes trial is set to start, aiming to reduce the number of patients in Milton Keynes with type 2 diabetes
•Several virtual wards were opened to avoid patients having to come into hospital
We are #TeamMKUH
Thank you for the last 10 years
