I am pleased to report that today, our local hospital trust, Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS, has hit the national standard of 92% patients waiting less than eighteen weeks from referral to treatment.
This is fantastic news for patients, and marks a significant milestone in the Trust's journey out of a difficult period stemming back to 2013 when our local hospital, Queen's, was put in special measures.
These kinds of achievements don't come about by accident but as a result of a huge effort by staff, working in partnership with local commissioners. Together, their work has ensured that thousands of extra clinics and nearly 100,000 appointments have been delivered.
The full press release is below, and I shall be organising an autumn visit to Queen's to talk about their steady journey of improvements. As ever, if any constituent has a positive or negative experience with the Trust that they would like to share, I am happy to take it up with their executive team.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 10 August 2017
For Publication: 0930
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust hits national 92%
Referral To Treatment (RTT) incomplete standard for first time in over three years
- Just 8% of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks for June
- At beginning of 2014, waiting list included over 1,000 people waiting longer than 52 weeks – now down to around single figures
- Huge joint recovery plan (delivered in partnership with local commissioners) has seen thousands of patients treated
- Thousands of extra clinics and nearly 100,000 appointments delivered, with 28,000 patients redirected by GPs
- June performance saw BHRUT exceed national average (90.3%)
- Good news follows Trust exiting special measures earlier this year following a positive CQC report
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) has hit the 92% Referral To Treatment (RTT) incomplete standard for the first time in three years following a major recovery programme, delivered in partnership with local GP commissioners, which has treated a huge number of patients.
The hitting of the national standard marks a significant milestone in what has been a major turnaround for the Trust.
In December 2013 a database migration uncovered a significant discrepancy between current performance and historical performance and showed that we were not compliant with national RTT standards, as was previously thought.
At that time, there were over 1,000 patients who had been waiting more than a year. This number has now been reduced to around single figures, with those few left typically waiting by personal choice.
The early 2016 validation process confirmed a waiting list of 54,000 patients was in existence. In the last 18 months, that waiting list has been cut by 20,000 patients, down to a more manageable level, and now, hitting the national target.
Over the past three years, Trust teams have been working exceptionally hard to keep reducing the waiting times and get patients seen and treated. We have worked very closely alongside key partners and specialists, particularly our local CCGs and GPs, to tackle the waiting lists, and manage the demand.
GPs redirected 28,000 patients to additional community settings as part of a comprehensive joint recovery plan, agreed with NHS England and NHS Improvement.
For the Trust, this has included delivering thousands of extra clinics, with nearly 100,000 outpatient appointments having been provided; as well as significant increases in diagnostic and investigative procedures, such as MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds and endoscopies; and delivering greater numbers of operations and surgical procedures.
A substantial clinical harm review has been run alongside the recovery plan, reviewing thousands of patients, in particular those patients who had waited more than a year, which has indicated so far that no patient has come to harm.
- good news comes just a few months after the east London Trust left special measures, following a positive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection which found evidence of significant and transformational improvement at Queen’s and King George Hospitals.
Sarah Tedford, Chief Operating Officer, BHRUT, said: “This milestone marks a fantastic achievement for all our staff, who have worked tirelessly.
“I would also like to thank key partners, particularly our CCGs and our local GPs, as well as our patients, for their understanding and patience. This has been a really successful example of how strong partnerships can deliver fantastic results.
“The situation we found ourselves in at the beginning of 2014 was unacceptable, and so we have been tackling this issue as a top priority.
“Many of the elements of the recovery plan we have implemented have been considered cutting edge in this area of work, and it has been pleasing to be acknowledged and recognised for our innovation and effort, as we know this is a challenge across the NHS.
“We know we will have to continue to keep working hard. We continue to see significant demand, so we will keep doing our best to maintain the high standards we’ve been setting.”
Dr Atul Aggarwal, Chair of Havering CCG, on behalf of the BHR CCGs, said: “The work, delivered jointly by the Trust and CCGs, on tackling the backlog of patients waiting too long for an appointment in our area, is a real testament to the success of genuine partnership working.
“With the direction of the NHS and social care very much towards ever greater integration and the dissolving of the traditional commissioner/provider split, it is crucial that we can demonstrate real benefits for the public through this approach. The success of our local RTT recovery plan and meeting the standard does just that.
“For some time now local partners have been working jointly to more effectively collaborate and have made further improvements this year on our common performance and financial challenge as we progress our plans for a BHR accountable care system.”
Steve Russell, Executive Regional Managing Director (London), NHSI said: “We welcome the news that Barking, Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust has made such significant progress in reducing waiting times for local residents.
“This has been the result of a huge effort from all staff alongside local GPs and commissioners. Patients will now benefit from being seen within the national waiting time standards after many years. This is an important achievement and is another major milestone for the trust and is testament to the hard work of their staff.
“We will continue to support the trust to ensure that this standard is met and sustained for their patients.”
Key Timeline
- December 2013 – Database migration uncovers data discrepancy
- February 2014 – Commencement of comprehensive investigation with suspension of formal reporting
- December 2016 – Return to formal reporting of RTT performance
- June 2017 – Hit 92% Constitutional Standard (three months ahead of trajectory)
-ENDS-