Whipps Cross University Hospital

Improving Month by Month

Patient services are organised into four directorates and include a full range of medical and surgical specialities for inpatients, outpatients and day surgery, together with maternity services and a 24-hour Emergency and Urgent Care Centre.

Throughout the year, month by month, week by week, improvements take place at Whipps Cross.  Here we catalogue them:

 
Ongoing - 2007/08

Development of Hospital at Night and Hospital at Weekend initiatives in response to the changing demands for care out of hours and at weekends.  This priority for the Trust will develop both services and the culture of the organisation to offer genuinely 24/7 care.

Maximising income opportunities, the Trust will establish its new contract for ENT services in Newham and develop plans for a clinical trials unit.

The Trust is strengthening its links with St Bartholomew's and the Royal London NHS Trust in order to bring specialist services to the Whipps Cross site, reducing the need for patients to travel into central London for their care.

Begin delivery of the 18 week maximum patient journey time of 18 weeks from referral to treatment.

2007/08
18 weeks target milestones:
85% of admitted patients to be seen within 18 weeks
90% of non-admitted patients to be seen within 18 weeks

2008/09
100% of all patients to be seen within 18 weeks by 1^st January 2009

Strategic aims:

• Undertaking essential maintenance and developing proposals for use of the estate to match service requirements;
• Improving the inter-relationship between key clinical departmnets to reduce patient movement on site and increase efficiency;
• Improving the physical environment for patients, in particular moving towards more patients being card for in individual rooms;
• Investing in new clinical equipment to maximise our productivity.

Building developments:

A new entrance will be created on to the hospital site.  This will require the demolition of two external buildings and the purchase of land to allow entry and construction of the new road.

A&E and X-Ray reconfiguration:

• Upgrade of a second A&E X-ray room (upgrade of one room already completed 05/06);
• Centralisation of Radiology (not including Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound);
• Creation of a new 6 bay resuscitation unit;
• Establishment of a multi-speciality assessment unit.
  

January 2007

Contract commenced to provide ENT services - both elective and emergency - at Newham as well as on site at Whipps. 

October 2006

Emergency and Urgent Care Centre opened providing a single-door access to walk-in services such as GPs and nurses as well as 24-hour emergency services.

Walk-in and wait screening service launched in Department of Sexual Health.  This in conjunction with the modernisation of working practices has enabled the department to increase its capacity of patients seen within 48 hours from 34% to 64% in November 2006.

May 2006

New Lilac Birth Centre opened.  Birthing rooms free from medical equipment and birthing pools  allow expectant mothers to have as natural a birth as possible but with medical provision close by, should it be required.

April 2006

New 20-bedded ward opened providing specialist acute care to patients in the first few hours / days following a stroke.

Security increased across the site providing extra guards in A&E, Maternity and the Walk-in Centre.

February 2006

New state-of-the-art £2.2m endoscopy unit was opened -  purpose built around the needs of patients.  This has resulted in a dramatic reduction in waiting times.

January 2006

Redesign of Physiotherapy services - staff training and extension of clinics has reduced waiting times dramatically and eventualy expects to eradicate waiting times altogether.

December 2005

New high-specification MRI scanner installed reducing waiting times as patients as all scans can now be done on site.  The introduction of digital film has also enabled results to be accessed immediately across the hospital, whenever required.

July 2005

Refurbishment of outpatients at a cost of £285,000 and installation of call centre completed.

Mobile Scanning MRI unit on site – to cut the waiting times with more visits planned.

June 2005

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) introduced in Cardiac Catheter Suite resulting in reduced length of stay and waiting times.

New £4m Eye Treatment Centre fully operational.

New Medical Education Centre built and MEC set up own website.

Race Equality Week held to great acclaim.

May 2005

Wavell ward opened for limited time as a ring-fenced surgical/elective centre to reduce number of cancelled operations.

Payroll transfer to Birmingham – saving money to put back into patient care.

Educomm – external training under the Learn direct scheme – providing free training for staff and community.

International Nurses day – theme this year focused on pride in being nurses and midwives at Whipps Cross and recognised diversity of workforce.

April 2005

Ward reconfiguration to match demand, increase elective capacity and cut waiting times. Elderly wards gained 40 extra beds, Surgery wards lost 22. Overall gain of 18 beds.

Urology cancer centre opened performing all radical operations for prostate and bladder cancer. Catchment of 1m people – anticipating 70 to 80 major pelvic operations each year.

Recycling bins installed site-wide.

February 2005

Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust became Partner Trust with Cambridge University’s Clinical School.

Cleanyourhands Campaign – Whipps joined second phase of the national infection control campaign.

Translations of the Bedside folder launched.

Patient food tasting sessions – patients and visitors invited to taste new dishes including Asian, vegetarian and halal dishes.

January 2005

Expediting the discharge of patients in hospital for longer than 20 days – released more then 2,000 ‘bed days’.

Maternity Level 2 Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts gained.

Health Advocacy service pilot started in Maternity for 12 months.

December 2004

Financial services transfer to Leeds – saving money to put back into patient care.

Jobs Junction opened – joint initiative with Job Centre Plus – offering employment to local people and provides training opportunities for current staff.

New shock advisory defibrillators bought – every nurse being trained to use them: saves waiting for a doctor.


November 2004

New recruitment campaign launched – ‘Building Futures Together’.

‘Don’t be a Slacker, be a Tracker’ campaign started. Encourages all staff to use the Tracker system for healthcare records.

Patient Information protocol approved – to meet required standards.

October 2004

Clinical Decision Unit created to reduce pressure on A&E and improve waiting times.


September 2004

Osteoporosis Assessment offered following fragility fracture to anyone aged over 50 attending A&E with a fracture.  Two thirds of patients seen needed some form of treatment.

Video conference system - enables multi-disciplinary teams across North East London Cancer Network to plan patient care.

Patient Experience Team created to implement and sustain change.

Network for black and minority ethnic staff re-established.

'We're here to help' campaign launched to improve the patient experience.

Initial Hospital Servces help desk started, providing single point of contact for catering, portering, domestic and post room service.

August 2004

Remote x-ray reporting service started - thought to be first in UK, highly commended for innovative use of information technology (IT).

Patient food tasting sessions - patients and visitors invited to taste new dishes including Asian, vegetarian and halal dishes.

June 2004

Medical information (450 conditions) for patients added to Patientline.

Mobile Scanning MRI unit on site - to cut waiting times with more visits planned.

May 2004

Whipps Cross nurses among the first in the UK to be able to prescribe drugs, improving waiting times.

Age Awareness Wekk held to great acclaim.

Patientline (TV, radio and phone system) installed at bedsides throughout the hospital.


April 2004

Rehabilitation Unit - doubled in size to 12 beds.

IT Helpdesk launched - managed by Barts & The London NHS Trust.

March 2004

Cardiac Catheterisation Lab - performed 800 coronary angiograms since opening.

Walk in Centre - managed by Waltham Forest PCT in collaboration with Whipps - first phase opened.

Electric beds - delivered with new mattresses.