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Written by Communications Team
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Welcome to our Spring 2013 edition of Members’ Matters.
This has
been a
time for
reflection for
many of us that work in the NHS,
following the publication of
the second Francis Report in
February on the poor care and
treatment provided by Mid
Staffordshire NHS Foundation
Trust between 2005 and 2006.
The report made sober reading -
the neglect of patients was
shameful, made worse because
it was not detected by the many
systems in place intended to
protect the public.
The report has certainly caused
me to reflect on the role of my
colleagues and myself on the
Trust’s Board. The buck stops
with us in making sure that
nothing could ever go wrong on
such an enormous scale at either
of our hospitals, so we spend
considerable time going round
our wards and other areas, to
see for ourselves how we are
caring for our patients.
Members Matters (Spring 2013/14)
-
Reflections on the Francis Report
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Reaching out to patients with dementia
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Patient feedback
will help us improve
experience
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More choice for local women
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Meet the Team Leaders
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Looking after you before the birth
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Helping you during and after birth
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Helping you to care for your baby
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Delivering Compassion and Care
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Ashford Outpatients ‘face lift’
well underway
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Changes to the
NHS in England
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New unit for children needing urgent care
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Come and find out more about the Trust
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Diary Dates 2013
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Click here to download the latest edition
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Chief Executive Andrew Liles
and I recently went ‘back to the
floor’, spending a morning on
reception at the main entrance
to St. Peter’s and in outpatients
reception. This was an excellent
opportunity to hear feedback
from staff and patients, all of
which helps us understand how
we can improve the experience
of people visiting our hospitals.
It is also very timely that we have
now introduced the new ‘Friends
and Family Test’ on all of our
wards and in our accident &
emergency department. This is
a Government initiative giving
patients the opportunity to rate
their care in hospital, by asking
the simple question “How likely
are you to recommend our ward
to friends and family if they need
similar treatment?” As well as
providing data by which to
compare hospitals, it will also
give us important information on
how well our individual wards
are caring for patients.
The other significant
development for the NHS has
been the new structure resulting
from the Health and Social Care
Act 2012, which came into force
on 1st April this year. On page 7
we set out in more detail how
this will work in our local area.
My colleagues and I are devoting
time to building relationships with
our new partners in the NHS and
elsewhere, so the transition is
seamless and we continue to
deliver the best possible care to
our patients.
You may have seen recent
stories in the media about
increasing waiting times in
A&Es across the country. For
most of the year we have met
our target meaning that 95%
of patients attending A&E
have been seen, treated and
admitted or discharged within
4 hours. However, due to
serious pressures in the
system this has not been the
case for the last quarter of
this financial year. This is
mainly due to a rise in the
number of patients with more
serious conditions arriving at
hospital, and others with
complex problems waiting to be
discharged. While this situation
remains a top priority for the
Trust, we know that many other
local hospitals are facing similar
pressures following our extended
winter.
We continue to work with the
ambulance service and our
colleagues in the community to
make sure that all organisations
in the system are doing all that
they can to support the best
care for our patients.
Finally, I was delighted to
attend the annual lunch for our
volunteers at Ashford Hospital
on 30th January – a great
opportunity to thank all of our
volunteers for the tremendous
contribution they make to our
Trust.
Aileen McLeish
Chairman
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 May 2013 12:19 |
Members Matters