Impact - August 2023

We have a focus this month on innovation, looking at how embracing new ways of working and championing new technology is benefitting our patients and the quality of care that we provide.

Innovation is so important as it also enables colleagues to develop new skills and helps us to grow our workforce by attracting other highly skilled staff to our organisation.

I am incredibly proud of how our teams are driving the use of new technology to make sustainable improvements, and there are a number of exciting examples in this edition.

We are one of the first Trusts in the country to receive funding for a state-of-the-art radiotherapy training system. This represents a huge step forward in our development and will provide an exceptional level of training using 3D simulation. This is fantastic for colleagues who will learn with greater precision, and much more quickly. You can read more about how this will make a difference for patients on page 4

We are also one of the only Trusts in England to offer extensive wireless fetal monitoring, having taken delivery of 25 new Cardiotocography (CTG) machines, 15 of which have the option of wireless monitoring. This means women can remain mobile during labour

FOREWORD

Louise Barnett Chief Executive

Dear colleague,

Welcome to the latest edition of Impact in which we celebrate some of the fantastic improvements that we are making, with your support, for our patients and colleagues.

and can be moved, if they need to be, without any break in fetal monitoring. It is already making a difference and providing reassurance to the families under our care. You can read more about the benefits of the new wireless monitors and one family’s experience on page 8

You may already be aware that we are now using robotic surgery in our theatres for patients undergoing complex gynaecology, urology and colorectal procedures. This means our patients are able to go home quicker, some even on the same day. Turn to page 6 to learn more about the new robotic system, and how our surgeons are transforming care.

It is so important that we take the time to recognise and celebrate what we are doing well and be proud of how it is making a difference for everyone.

There are times when we won’t always get it right or when we know that something could be done better, and we must recognise this too. We know this from what you told us in last year’s Staff Survey, and we are listening.

We want to support you to feel confident and safe to raise any concerns you may have. By creating a culture where speaking up is business as usual, we will create an organisation that is continuously learning and where

we are proud to belong. We are determined to get there, with your support.

This is highlighted by the experience of one of our amazing nursing colleagues, Kerry Brotherton. Kerry is now training to be an ambassador for Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) after she sought the support of our brilliant FTSU team who helped her to completely transform the working environment for her colleagues and as a result, the quality of care for her patients.

Kerry’s story really does highlight why raising a concern is the right thing to do. You can find out more about Kerry’s story and our FTSU support on page 10

It is a privilege to hear about the amazing work going on across the organisation and how you are putting our values into practice every day, with the patient always at the heart. We want to recognise and celebrate this through our annual recognition week and celebrarory awards. Please take part and make your nomination here

Thank you.

MESSAGE

Mary Aubrey Getting to Good Programme Director

Dear colleague,

We are continuing to make substantial progress on our Getting to Good programme, and this is thanks to the drive and determination of colleagues to create a great place to work and receive care.

This overarching programme combines all the improvements that are being made across the Trust, including Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Ockenden Report actions.

The aim is to provide high quality, sustainable care for our patients in an environment of continuous learning and embed a sense of belonging.

Our transformational work includes digital, elective recovery, finances and resources, quality and safety, maternity and corporate governance. Each area has a plan that is being followed to help us achieve our end goal – to provide excellent care for the communities we serve.

It is really important that we recognise the enormous amount of work that is being done to move us forward on our journey of improvement. To deliver and embed improvements alongside dayto-day roles is a considerable achievement and you should be proud of the part you are playing.

We are currently in phase three of the programme – with 322 actions in total to complete. To date:

• 27% of actions are evidenced and assured

• 53.11% of actions are delivered not yet evidenced

• 9.57% of actions are not yet delivered

We are working at pace to deliver the remainder of the actions with a targeted focus this month on:

• Quality governance

• Cancer performance

• Diagnostic recovery

• Levelling up clinical standards

• Performance and Business Intelligence

You should all be incredibly proud of the work that you are delivering. Every idea, every piece of feedback and every improvement is valued and together will help us to make a difference.

If you have an improvement idea that you would like support with, please contact our team in the Improvement Hub. We also want to shine a spotlight on your improvements, so please do share them with the Communications Team –sath.commsteam@nhs.net so we can feature you and your team in a future edition of Impact.

Thank you.

TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE

The Trust has become the first in the country to receive a state-of-the-art radiotherapy virtual training system which will help enhance the quality of care our patients receive.

The new system provides an ‘exceptional level of training’ for colleagues in radiotherapy. It will help them to develop and hone their skills, and practise newer techniques, benefiting our patients being treated for cancer.

It also establishes the Trust as the key provider of this level of training in the region, which is fantastic for our organisation.

Approximately 50% of patients will receive radiotherapy to treat their cancer. Radiotherapy works by using high dose targeted radiation to kill cancer cells.

The training system, called Compact VERT, is already providing high quality training for a range of complex cancer treatments.

It has a platform which includes a wealth of training resources, allowing users to be transported into a life-size 3D treatment

room complete with a Linear Accelerator Radiotherapy Treatment machine.

It also creates a safer learning environment for students and enables experienced staff to practise newer techniques.

Mercia Edwards, Radiotherapy Practice Educator, said: “Having this virtual radiotherapy system helps us to provide an exceptional level of training, assists us in promoting our profession and provides a more interactive experience for our colleagues and students.

“We can deliver educational workshops, give student radiographers a more indepth look at anatomy and learn more about complex treatment techniques.

“The system is also portable and self-contained, which gives us the flexibility we need to move around and project the training onto any screen or wall.”

Louise Killey, Radiotherapy Services Manager, said:

“We are very grateful to Health Education England for providing the funding for this new training system.

“This, in conjunction with the funding they have provided for the practice educator and apprentice posts, will ensure that we can improve the quality of student training and experience.

“This will result in an improved patient experience, journey and ultimately the quality of patient care.”

“I am incredibly proud of the dedication of our radiotherapy colleagues who have helped to secure the investment for this fantastic new training system.

“Embracing new ways of working is a key priority because having a highly skilled workforce not only benefits our patients, it benefits the whole organisation by encouraging others to want to work here.”

Dr John Jones, Executive Medical Director

Ambitious

INNOVATING IN OUR THEATRES

Harnessing new technology will ensure our patients are receiving high quality care, whilst also supporting us to retain and attract highly skilled colleagues.

Our surgeons have performed their first operations assisted by a state-of-the-art surgical robot.

As well as providing patients with high quality care, robotic surgery is helping to reduce the length of time patients have to stay in the hospital following a complex operation. Patients are recovering quicker, with some even going home on the same day.

The advancement in the use of technology in theatres also means that some patients will no longer have to travel outside the area to have their procedures.

The new robotic system is being used to assist with colorectal, gynaecology and urology surgery. It enables the surgeon to perform operations that are less invasive and with more precision than conventional methods.

Mr Adam Farquharson, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon who performs robotic surgery, said: “The introduction of the robotic assisted surgery is fantastic for patients and the Trust. It has moved us into a new era where cutting edge technology will greatly benefit our patients and colleagues.

“It allows us to perform complex surgery with more precision, so it is less invasive than other conventional methods. It also means the impact from complex surgery, including for advanced cancers and pelvic diseases, is significantly reduced and patients are able to resume their normal activities and daily living very quickly.”

Surgeons and surgical teams have spent many

months undergoing specialist training to be able to use the robot, including the use of simulation.

Matthew Wood, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, also performs robotic surgery.

He said: “As a surgeon, this is very exciting. It is a new, innovative way to carry out surgical procedures and will bring many benefits for our patients including quicker recoveries and fewer complications.”

Katrina Sofio, Team Leader for Robotic Surgery, said: “Helping to introduce a new surgical service in the Trust has been both exciting and inspiring.

“The arrival of the surgical robot has given the theatres department a chance to provide a new surgical speciality that has a lot of great benefits to our patients and service users in our own community.

“We had the chance to do benchmarking in other trusts in advance to familiarise ourselves in how a robotic theatre runs safely and smoothly on a daily basis. In addition, the theatre team also had to do extensive educational training which consists of theory training with assessment and a practical inperson training prior to joining the robotic team.

“Being able to provide robotic surgery to our patients is the start of a new era for SaTH. It will hopefully inspire the new generations of surgeons, doctors, anaesthetists, nurses, Operating Department Practitioners, and healthcare staff to join our Trust, and the theatres department, to be part of our wonderful team.”

“We are committed to harnessing new technology to enable us to provide our patients with high quality healthcare – from using state of the art training software to introducing robotic surgery.

“I am so proud of our fantastic surgical

team for their dedication and leadership in driving forward innovation in our theatres so we can transform healthcare for our communities. Thank you to everyone involved.”

Louise Barnett, Chief Executive

Peter Clifton, from Telford, was one of the first patients to have robotic surgery. Mr Clifton’s hospital stay post operation was three days instead of between seven and nine days.

Mr Clifton said: “It was such a privilege. The surgery went so smoothly and was brilliant. The operation was for about six hours, but I was up within 24 hours and walking, and home within three days. It was absolutely remarkable.

“I have a number of health conditions and thought the operation would knock me about and be difficult to recover from, but it has been really

straightforward, and I am so impressed with it all. The doctors said it was new and less intrusive and that turned out to be the case.

“Everybody who has looked after me has been like a big family and helped me immensely. The staff were impeccable, they treated me amazingly.”

Introducing robotic surgery – video here

DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY MATERNITY CARE

Ensuring that women and their families feel safe, confident and supported when using our maternity services is a key priority for our organisation.

We have taken delivery of 25 new CTG (Cardiotocography) machines which are used during pregnancy and labour to monitor a baby’s heartbeat.

Fifteen of the machines have the option of wireless monitoring which allow women to be mobile during labour.

We are one of the only Trusts in England to offer this level of wireless monitoring to service users.

The wireless machines are located in areas where women are likely to need to be upright and mobile during labour while their baby is being monitored.

Whilst many women will only require intermittent monitoring during labour, for others it is

recommended that the baby’s heart rate is continuously monitored. This produces a visual picture for midwives of how the baby is responding to labour.

Annemarie Lawrence, Director of Midwifery, said: “Wireless monitoring allows labouring women to remain upright, move around and to get into positions that feel comfortable to labour in. We know that being active during labour can reduce the experience of pain whilst also allowing gravity to play its role in helping the baby to descend.”

The monitors will be used in Delivery Suite, Antenatal and Postnatal Wards, Triage and the Day Assessment Unit. The benefit of the wireless CTG machines is already being felt across maternity services.

Collette Williams, 36, from Oakengates, said: “I attended triage at 31 weeks pregnant before being admitted to the Antenatal Ward because my waters had broken. I was told I would need to have a caesarean to deliver my baby prematurely due to heartrate concerns.

“Because of the Trust’s new wireless CTG machine, I was able to visit the neonatal unit with my partner before we went to theatre to meet the team and see where our baby would be cared for after his arrival. This made us both feel safe and calm as we knew what to expect.

“Because our baby needed his heartrate to be continuously monitored, we wouldn’t have had this experience without the wireless CTG machine, instead I would have had to remain on a hospital bed until the point of my caesarean section – it alleviated any extra anxiety from the situation. It kept me much calmer and allowed me to be better informed.

“Every single person we’ve encountered, from triage to the care we’re receiving now in the Neonatal Unit, has gone above and beyond our expectations.

“We are so grateful that this level of care exists and that we have had this support. It could have been such a different experience, but it’s been life-changing experience in the very best way and we’ll be forever grateful.”

Hayley Flavell, Director of Nursing, said: “It is absolutely our priority that women and their families feel fully supported throughout their journey when using our maternity services. Being able to provide this level of care is fantastic for our colleagues and for those using our services.”

“Our new wireless machines are waterproof which means that women on our Delivery Suite can use the pool or shower with the reassurance of having their baby’s heart rate monitored. It also means that, should a woman need to be transferred to theatre during labour, we can move them without any break in fetal monitoring. The acquisition of these new machines means we can offer a better experience for women whose babies need to be continuously monitored.”

Annemarie Lawrence, Director of Midwifery

CREATING A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

Ensuring that our organisation is continuously learning and improving is a key priority and will help us achieve to our vision to provide excellent care for our communities.

We are working towards creating a culture where colleagues feel safe and confident to speak up about things that are going well but could be done better – or when things are not going well.

Speaking up about any concern at work is important. It will help us to continuously improve our services for our patients, and the working environment for colleagues.

Kerry Brotherton is a sister on Ward 28, Frailty and General Medicine at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Kerry supported a large-scale recruitment campaign for healthcare assistants across our two hospitals. She took part in an open day, took prospective candidates on tours, spoke at length about the profession and helped with the interview process. In total, 117 HCAs were recruited, with 17 of them employed on Ward 28.

Kerry spoke up about concerns and issues she was facing and as a result, she has been instrumental in implementing positive change, not only on Ward 28, but across the whole organisation.

Having worked at the Trust for almost 25 years, starting as a healthcare assistant (HCA), Kerry has worked across a number of wards and specialties in different roles and at different levels. In 2021 she started her role on Ward 28.

She said: “Patients are my number one priority and I take pride in everything I do. When starting my new role, I quickly realised that we simply did not have enough staff, specifically HCAs, to safely look after our patients. This was severely impacting on the quality of care being provided and on staff morale. It meant more people were leaving and the issues just snowballed. I couldn’t see a way out of it.

“I don’t come to work to do a bad job. I come to work to look after people who are poorly and help them through, what is quite often, a crucial moment in their life. I felt like I couldn’t do that, and it was affecting my own mental health.”

In October 2022 Kerry realised the team were unable to provide adequate care. She said: “It

dawned on me that if I didn’t speak up for my patients, then no-one would.”

Kerry contacted Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) straight away and spoke to our FTSU Lead, Helen Turner. Following a discussion and agreeing next steps, and with permission from Kerry, the concerns were escalated to senior nursing. Within half an hour, Kerry was visited by the head of nursing.

Kerry said: “I didn’t think much would come from picking up the phone, but within seconds it felt like I wasn’t fighting this battle alone, and I felt a huge sense of relief. A problem shared is certainly a problem halved.”

Kerry said: “If I could go back in time and tell myself to speak up sooner, I would. I feel listened to, supported, equipped to do a good job, and as a result, can now provide care that I am proud of for my patients.”

Kerry implemented a suggestion box on the ward for colleagues to put forward improvement ideas so they could tackle issues early on and work to resolve them as a team. Improvements include signage on the ward, workload planning and communication with the introduction of a ward newsletter.

Kerry is now training to be a FTSU ambassador where she will raise awareness of speaking up as well as signposting and supporting colleagues who wish to raise concerns.

Helen Turner, FTSU Lead, said: “We strive to deliver excellent care for our patients, and to create a happy, thriving workforce. We can only do this if people are empowered to raise concerns, are listened to and robust action is taken to address the matter. We know this leads to improved patient safety and improved health and wellbeing for colleagues.

“We want to support you to bring about positive changes and to feel confident to speak up when you have concerns and prevent any potential harm. Kerry’s story highlights the impact this can have.”

In 2022/23, the Trust’s FTSU team received

282 contacts

Of these, 237 were individual concerns

34% 22%

12%

of the concerns related to behaviours/ relationships

were regarding worker safety and wellbeing

21% 11%

linked to bullying and harassment

All concerns raised were escalated.

were associated with systems and processes related to concerns about patient safety

Of those speaking up:

29% were nurses and midwifery registered

19% administrative colleagues

14% estates and ancillary

12% allied health professionals

11% medical and dental

8% additional clinical services

5% unknown or other

2% additional clinical services and healthcare scientists.

Your line manager is usually your first port of call to raise any concern – routes for raising concerns here. You can contact the FTSU team by emailing sath.ftsu@nhs.net.

TRANSFORMING OUTPATIENT CARE

Empowering our patients to be involved in managing their follow-up care by giving them greater choice over how and when they access that care is a key priority.

We are working with our local healthcare partners and service-users to transform the delivery of outpatient services within primary and secondary care.

A vast amount of work is already being done to reduce waiting lists and the numbers of patients awaiting a first appointment. NHS England is now committed to ensuring that no patient is waiting beyond 65 weeks for a first appointment by 31 October 2023.

Through the Outpatient Transformation Programme, we will be able to reduce waiting times for patients and ensure that patient care wraps around their clinical needs. We can also offer support that better fits their lifestyle and commitments. Together this will improve the overall quality of their experience.

Key to achieving this is the use of existing initiatives such as Advice and Guidance and Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU). Increasing focus on these tools that enable safe and effective use of our outpatient capacity will be seen over the next six months.

In secondary care, the aim is to deliver a more personalised model of care with the patient in control. This can be achieved by empowering them to book their own follow-up care when they need it

or opt for a virtual consultation instead of going to a hospital.

Mr Andy Elves, Clinical Lead for the programme, said: “COVID-19 had a significant impact on the amount of planned care the NHS across the country has been able to provide. This led to more people on our waiting lists resulting in increased waiting times for appointments.”

“We’ve been listening to people, including patients, their carers, and colleagues working within the health and care system, to understand what is important, what improvements we can make, and how we can build on what is already working well.”

The programme is already increasing the use of advice and guidance where GPs can access support from specialist consultants to speed up the triage process.

PIFU enables a patient to initiate a follow-up appointment when they need one, based on their symptoms and individual circumstances. It can be used with patients with long or short-term conditions in a broad range of specialties.

“We are already achieving significant levels of delivery across most of our specialities for our virtual consultations and continue to engage our clinical teams in discussions about how this approach may be extended.

“Patient Initiated Follow-Up is finding an increasing role in ensuring patients are more empowered and seen in a timely manner, as well as creating capacity for new patients to be seen in a timely fashion.”

Andrew Elves, Clinical Lead for the Outpatient Transformation Programme

This avoids the need to go through the GP allowing early intervention when things are not going wellwith video and phone consultations, reducing the need to travel, saving patients time and money, as well supporting the NHS’s green ambitions and outpatient capacity.

Mr Elves said: “We must work with patients to manage their needs in a more timely and effective way.

“Moving to a clearly defined process recorded within the patient administration system allows us to understand which pathways benefit from PIFU and which do not.

“This allows us to better understand the resources teams need to deliver safe and effective care.

“For some pathways we are seeing up to 30% of patients moving to a PIFU pathway

creating significant capacity for new patients to be seen in a timely fashion.”

Virtual appointments mean patients can have their appointment delivered in a more comfortable environment with someone present with them. In May, 16.3% of outpatient contacts were virtual/non face-to-face.

The experience and learning from the advice and guidance programme and the PIFU programme is now contributing at a national level through GIRFT and the Further, Faster project.

Mr Elves said: “Reducing footfall, not just in our own departments but also in primary care, can benefit the whole health system and improve the patient’s experience of care.”

TRANSFORMING OUR CRITICAL CARE

Colleagues have been at the heart of transforming the care we provide to our most seriously ill patients to ensure it is high quality and safe.

The valued feedback of our patients is shaping how we improve the care we provide to those who are critically ill, now and in the future.

The improvements in Critical Care are part of a focused improvement programme.

Dr Chris Mowatt, Clinical Director for Critical Care, Dr Stuart Booth, Consultant Anaesthetist & Intensivist and Dr Fiona Jutsum, Consultant Anaesthetist & Intensivist, along with senior operational, therapies and nursing teams have played a central role in driving the improvements.

Dr Mowatt said: “The Getting to Good improvement programme has been a positive experience for all of us involved in Critical Care.

“We’ve embraced the challenges this has thrown up and now have the foundations to build a Critical Care that is fit for the future as we move towards

HTP (Hospitals Transformation Programme).

“We’ve also been able to celebrate great successes like the patient diary and our colleagues at every level have been engaged and enthusiastic.”

Critical Care is in place in both hospitals so improving recruitment and the way colleagues work cross site has been a key part of the programme.

A number of new anaesthetists have been recruited in the last year and a Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT) is also being established to ensure every major service across both hospital sites can offer intensive care skills for patients and should be in place by this winter.

The Outreach Team lead is now in place and recruitment of nursing team members is under way.

Our patients are already benefiting from:

• Diaries which are created for ITU patients and their families to help with their recovery and to understand about their time in ITU (read more about this in a previous edition of Impact here)

• Clinics which have been established to care for patients after critical illness

• Helping us to shape our future services - patients can now comment on their care using a QR code

The Critical Care Transformation Programme is made up of 57 key actions drawn from recommendations from three external reports. We are already making great progress.

Of the 57 actions, 33 have been completed, eight delivered but not embedded and 16 are in progress.

They are split into three categories: Governance, workforce medical and non-medical.

An overarching assurance framework is in place to ensure any new ways of working are being embedded, working and monitored.

Key updates include:

• Improvement in governance processes and the recording of all decisions, with a clear governance flow chart for all colleagues in place

• The creation of a forward audit plan

• Compliance with mandatory training

• Improvement in medical compliance with Mental Capacity Act (MCA)/ Deprivation of Liberty safeguards (Dols)

• Processes in place to improve and monitor Multidisciplinary team (MDT) communication in ITU

• Standardisation of drug delivery and clinical charts led by the senior medical and nursing teams

“A huge thank you to our colleagues involved in this incredibly important programme of improvement work. They have been enthusiastic and keen to get involved in the process, which has enabled a rapid pace of delivering new ways of working.

“Their drive will hugely benefit our critically ill patients, and their loved ones, whilst they are being cared for in our hospitals and after they leave our care.”

Dr John Jones, Executive Medical Director

TWO THRIVING HOSPITALS

The Hospitals Transformation Programme is moving to an exciting stage which will help us realise our aim to deliver two thriving hospitals that will improve care for all the communities we serve.

Our Outline Business Case (OBC) is on track to be submitted for national approval this summer 2023. An incredible amount of work has happened, with in-depth clinical discussions, across all divisions, to help us reach this point – thank you to everyone who has supported this critical programme.

Approval of the OBC will move us onto the final stage of the national process for the plans which would see the Princess Royal Hospital site specialise in planned care and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital site specialise in emergency care.

The clinical consensus is we cannot continue as we are and it is fantastic to see all parts of the organisation coming together to prioritise these discussions.

We have already shared with you our work to transform the Princess Royal Hospital with the multi-million pound investment in the Planned Care Hub and front entrance.

During July we were able to share the first artist impressions for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, as part of our planning application which will transform the site.

There will be a modern, purpose-built building which will transform the entrance to the hospital site improving the experience for everyone, and importantly supporting our colleagues to improve care for patients.

Dr Ed Rysdale, Clinical Lead for the Hospitals

Transformation Programme, said: “We are entering an exciting phase as we design the more granular detail and patient pathways. We are committed to engaging and working closely with our local communities, patients and colleagues.”

You can find out more information here

Adam Ellis-Morgan, Technical Lead for the Hospitals Transformation Programme, said: “I have really enjoyed meeting colleagues and local residents during our planning events; answering questions and offering reassurance of our commitment to be a good neighbour.

“We had an experienced team of clinicians, architects and transport consultants supporting us who were able to hear suggestions first-hand, including ways we can be more sustainable. Over the coming months we will be sharing more information about this.

“Every day we are getting closer to making this a reality, and the exciting architect designs are generating a real buzz. We know there is still more work to do, and we don’t have all the answers, which is why feedback will be so important over the coming months.

“Thank you to everyone who joined us at our dropin display events for the planning proposals. There will be more opportunities to get involved, so please continue to check our intranet and bulletins.”

“Through the conversations I have with clinical teams, we know these plans will offer high quality, sustainable care and an improved experience for patients. Being able to share the artist impressions makes me feel proud to be involved in a programme that will make an incredible difference to everyone in our communities.”

Dr Ed Rysdale, Clinical Lead for the Hospitals Transformation Programme

The c.30,000 sq.m building will connect our existing entrances (outpatients and A&E) and includes:

• A new entrance, reception and hospitality offer as well as accessible patient drop off facilities

• A large Emergency Medicine department with a paediatric zone aligned with a new urgent treatment centre

• An Acute Medicine floor

• Consultant-led Maternity, Gynaecology and Neonatal services with Midwifery led delivery

• Children’s centre including enlarged children’s assessment unit, children’s inpatient, oncology and surgical services

• A large new Critical Care Unit

WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS

We are always looking for new ways of working collaboratively to improve care for our patients.

Partnership working is particularly crucial as we approach the winter when the NHS is at its busiest, and demand for acute hospital beds is high.

A number of improvement schemes have been identified to increase winter resilience across the local health and care system.

This includes plans to reduce admissions and facilitate earlier discharge by creating two rehabilitation and recovery wards across our two hospital sites.

The wards will help create a seamless flow through acute and community care for people who cannot be supported safely in their own home, but do not need to remain in an acute hospital bed.

• A ward located at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will hold 32 beds

• A ward located at the Princess Royal Hospital will hold 20 beds

Their purpose will be to provide appropriate subacute capacity that currently does not exist within the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin system.

Sub-acute care services are provided on an inpatient basis for individuals who have already completed acute treatment, but still need rehabilitation therapy, for example those recovering from a stroke or broken hips.

Care will be delivered through multi-disciplinary teams with rapid access to our acute hospital facilities should a patient deteriorate. In preparation for the new wards, a recruitment strategy is currently being developed.

Dr John Jones, Executive Medical Director, said: “This is a great opportunity to improve care by working collaboratively. It will help us to get patients out of hospital and home as soon as possible which is better for them, in turn helping to improve flow through our hospitals especially during winter which is a challenging period for the NHS.

“The wards will help to reduce ambulance handover delays and emergency department overcrowding. It also means the impact on inpatient beds set aside for patients recovering from elective operations will be reduced, resulting in fewer delays for patients waiting for their operations due to winter pressures.”

“This is an exciting development and is a great example of how we are working effectively together with our partners to improve services for everyone.

“The reintroduction of sub-acute care marks a significant step forward for our communities. This will facilitate the timely discharge of patients from hospital to this new service and much closer working with multi-disciplinary community teams who will be based on both sites.”

Nigel Lee, Interim Director of Strategy and Partnerships

The largest proportion of colleagues come from India, closely followed by Nigeria and Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

In our next edition we will be focusing on:

• Providing care closer to home

• Improving care for our vulnerable patients

• Growing our diagnostic capability

• How our staff survey is making a difference