Agenda item

Representatives from Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust

The Committee received the Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust Quality Account for 2016/17 and received the following update.

In 2016, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the services in the Trust and rated the trust as ‘Good’ overall with ‘Outstanding’ for caring. The Maternity Unit at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust was also rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC which places it amongst the very best in the country.

In 2016 the trust faced significant growth as it became an integrated acute and community provider, delivering high quality community services to the population of Gateshead alongside the hospital based services. This has enabled the trust to work more closely, and in partnership with Primary Care and Local Authority colleagues through the Gateshead Care Partnership, to deliver high quality and seamless care to the most vulnerable and frail patients.

Feedback from patients show that the Trust continues to provide a positive patient experience with an average of 96% of inpatients saying that they would definitely recommend the hospital to friends and family. 83% of patients that completed to 2016 NHS inpatient survey would rate the care provided at 7/10 or above (Picker Institute, 2016) and over 96% of inpatients in the local Trust survey say that the staff are caring and compassionate.

The Trust has consistently performed within the top three Emergency departments in the country for the Friends and Family Test and we have provided advice and guidance to other Trusts.

The new Patient Experience and Information Centre opened in 2016 and has gone from strength to strength as the trust increases contact with the public who visit the hospital and community facilities. The Centre is also supported by a growing number of volunteers who give invaluable support to patients.

Improvement plans during 2016/17 have been regularly monitored through the Quality Governance Committee and the Trust Board. In addition to the above, the Quality Account for 2016/17 reflects the excellent progress that has been made against the priorities:

·         Reduction in avoidable hospital deaths from sepsis through timely recognition and management

·         Target reached of zero preventable stillbirths through the ‘Saving Babies Lives’ campaign

·         Improve patient safety by reducing three key common medication errors

·         Implementation of the ‘ThinkSAFE’ project

·         Continue to reduce harmful ‘in hospital’ falls

·         Qualitative analysis of complaints (including responses and actions) to improve the patient’s (and family’s or carer’) experience of the process. Production of an improvement plan and reinvigoration of the complaints service and processes in line with best practice.

The trust recognised that improvements can always be made and will therefore continue to develop a focus on quality improvement through the implementation of a new Quality Strategy 2017/2020 that sets out how to continue to deliver improvements over the next three years, alongside the five key priorities reflected below:-

Clinical Effectiveness

·         Continue to implement the improvement plan in relation to Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) for hip and knee replacements

·         Standardise and increase the number of mortality reviews undertaken in line with national guidance

Patient Safety

·         Improve our patient safety culture

·         Implement National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPS) and Local Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (LocSSIPS)

Patient Experience

·         Review of complaints investigations and actions

The Committee thanked the Trust for a comprehensive report and wished to place on record their thanks for the work done so far, on sepsis, three key common medication errors, the zero target achieved through the ‘Saving Babies Lives’ campaign and the work already undertaken on reduction in harmful ‘in hospital’ falls.

The representative from Healthwatch also thanked the Trust for a most informative report and agreed to have further discussions outside of the meeting around falls strategy and use of dementia nurses.

RESOLVED – that the information be noted.