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Raising a concern or complaint (Romanian) - patient information

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Ajutați-ne să ne îmbunătățim activitatea Ne angajăm să ne îmbunătățim serviciile prin colaborarea cu pacienții, îngrijitorii și familiile. Ascultând și
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/Media/UHS-website-2019/Patientinformation/Contactingus/Raising-a-concern-or-complaint-Romanian-version-2138-PIL.pdf

UHS AR 21-22 Quality Account

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QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Part 1: QStaUteAmeLnItToYn qAuaClitCy fOroUm NtheTchief executive 2021/22 1.1 Chief executive’s statement and welcome Welcome to the quality report for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) for 2020/21, which incorporates the quality accounts. 2020/21 has been a year of unprecedented change for healthcare, and as might be expected this year’s account has a strong focus on our ongoing r QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Part 1: Statement on quality from the chief executive 1.1 Chief executive’s statement and welcome Welcome to the 2021/22 quality account which I am pleased to present on behalf of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS). 2021/22 has been another year of unprecedented challenge for healthcare, and this year’s quality account continues to have a strong focus on our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes information about how we are working to restore services for our patients as we move out of the pandemic. It demonstrates that despite the difficulties, we have supported each other and have never been distracted from our commitment to quality. The challenges of the last year may have been enormous, but there have also been some real positives from the experience. We are working differently and more collaboratively as a health and care system, developing integrated care and rapidly introducing major change across our services, which helps us to focus on and continue to develop the high quality of our services. As we recuperate and recover from the pandemic, we will be a team of people that together is stronger than ever before. The professionalism of the team and all those involved across UHS has been inspiring in the face of significant adversity. I am grateful for the care, compassion and kindness shown by all colleagues to our patients and to each other during the most difficult of years. This is a great platform from which to seize all the opportunities we have before us to continue improving the quality of our services and care. As we begin to move forward, the Trust faces another set of challenges as our services have inevitably been affected over the last couple of years. We remain hugely concerned about the national growth in waiting lists for diagnosis and treatment, and for the people who may not have come forward for vital tests or treatment due to the pandemic. We will continue to do everything possible to maximise the number of patients that we can safely treat, and to ensure that patients on our waiting lists are regularly risk assessed and seen according to clinical priority. We are building capacity as quickly as we can and are recruiting more staff so we can treat the patients who need us. I have no doubt that the staff at UHS will continue to keep their focus on the quality of the services and care we give to ensure everyone who comes to UHS will have the best possible experience as they work tirelessly to put patients first. Quality assurance has remained a cornerstone of our care despite this period of intense pressure. We have consolidated the work we started last year to embed a different approach to governance, reporting and assurance requirements, and our approach as an acute provider has continued to flex and adapt. We are hugely proud to be playing an important role in the national response to COVID-19, not only through the delivery of essential healthcare, but also through the many research programmes that are helping us globally to understand and better treat the virus, and as the lead provider for the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine programme to our population. We are investing significantly in our research and development infrastructure to secure our future as leading-edge university teaching hospital. Equally, we are investing in other significant areas such as refurbishing the hospital, developing innovative digital solutions. We have also launched a sustainability initiative to make the hospital greener, recognising the influence it has on impacting the environment and population we serve. We aim to achieve carbon net zero, resulting in healthier lives for our community and people. 2 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 During 2021/22 the Board has been working on our strategy for the next five years, which sets out our ambition for our quality standards and what we want the hospital to be in 2025 for patients and staff. I’m excited to be the person leading UHS to achieve these ambitions, knowing success with be a collective effort. There is so much to do, but I know that working together we will overcome all the challenges because that is what the UHS family does. The pandemic has challenged us, but it has also driven change, and it has shown what we can do together with the people of our city and region. In spite of the immense pressures we continue to face, our patients are hugely appreciative and grateful for the outstanding quality of care and treatment they receive here at UHS. This is testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone in the UHS family. The information contained within this report has been subject to internal review and, to the best of my knowledge presents a true and accurate picture of the performance of the Trust. David French Chief Executive Officer 21 June 2022 3 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 1.2 Introduction to this report Each year all NHS hospitals in England must prepare and publish an annual report for the public about the quality of their services. This is called the quality account and makes us at UHS more accountable to our patients and the public and helps drive improvement in the quality of our services. Quality in healthcare is made up of three core dimensions: • Patient experience – how patients experience the care they receive. • Patient safety – keeping patients safe from harm. • Clinical effectiveness – how successful is the care we provide? This report tells you how well we did against the quality priorities and goals we set ourselves in each domain for 2021/22 (last year). It sets out the priorities we have agreed for 2022/23 (next year) and how we plan to achieve them. The quality account incorporates all the requirements of The National Health Service (Quality Accounts) Regulations 2010 (as amended) as well as additional reporting requirements. 4 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Part 2: Priorities for improvement and statements of assurance from the board 2.1 Priorities for improvement This section provides a look back over the 2021/22 quality priorities at UHS and sets out our quality priorities for 2022/23. 2.1.1 Progress against 2021/22 priorities Last year we set our quality priorities to ensure we delivered the highest quality of care shaped by a range of national and regional factors as well as local and Trust‐wide considerations. We recognised the overriding issues of significant operational pressures being felt right across the health and social care system and the pressures associated with the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We acknowledged that many of the aims of our priorities could be disrupted by the ongoing pandemic and that we might need to be flexible in adapting the priorities in changing circumstances. We limited ourselves to four priorities in recognition of these pressures and to allow UHS to focus on responding to them. This year our retrospective review reflects how we addressed the four priorities in the context of our organisational response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the pressing need to work towards restoration of our services. Our challenge was to deliver the highest quality care in the context of these combined pressures. Overview of success Figure 1: Priority 1 PRIORITY 1 Introduction of Midwifery continuity of carer (MCoC) for women at risk of complications in pregnancy. Core Dimension: Patient safety, patient experience and clinical effectiveness Achieved Why was this a priority? We recognise that the relationship between care giver and receiver leads to better safety and outcomes for women and babies in our care. Being cared for and supported through their pregnancy by the same midwifery team helps ensure safer care based on a relationship of mutual trust and respect and offers a more positive and personal experience. Midwifery continuity of carer (MCoC) is a model of care that aims to limit the number of different healthcare professionals a woman sees during her pregnancy. Its aim is for the pregnant woman to receive intrapartum care from a midwife she has met previously during her current pregnancy, thereby providing greater continuity. 5 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 This approach was the single biggest request of women heard during the NHS England 2015 National Maternity Review ‘Better Births’. The model has proven beneficial clinical outcomes for women including: 16% less likely to lose their baby and 19% less likely to lose their baby before 24 weeks. 24% less likely to experience pre-term birth. 15% less likely to have regional anaesthesia (e.g., an epidural). 16% less likely to have an episiotomy. The model organises midwives into teams of eight or fewer. Each midwife aims to provide antenatal, labour and postnatal midwifery care to approximately 36 women per year (pro rata), with support from the wider team for out-of-hours care. The ‘Better Births’ report published in 2016 set out a clear recommendation that the NHS should work towards a shared ambition for the NHS in England of MCoC being the default model of care available to all pregnant women. To ensure equity in maternity health outcomes the report recommended that roll-out should be prioritised by March 2023 for those most likely to be at greater risk of complications in pregnancy and experience poorer outcomes. NHS England identified this group as woman from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, those who live in the most deprived decile (IMD-1/Indices of multiple deprivation-1) or those with increased vulnerability (e.g., poor perinatal mental health, history of substance misuse, history of domestic violence). What have we achieved in 2021/22? Our service was quick to adopt the model of MCoC. We used a variety of communication forums to engage our staff and patients, including involvement in national and local public MCoC events, staff team meetings, use of digital platforms, newsletters and dedicated time at midwifery study days for education and discussion. We rapidly established five MCoC teams with each team caring for their own caseload of women in the antenatal, labour and postnatal period. Three are ‘‘caseloading’’ teams meaning they care for their women in labour with an ‘’on call’’ commitment night and day and are based in the east, west and centre of Southampton. The remaining two teams are integrated teams who are available for women in labour when they are on a set shift for labour care and are based in the centre and west of the city. All our teams have a linked consultant obstetrician to ensure continuity of obstetric involvement, and a statement of purpose was agreed to describe the roles and responsibilities required to support the delivery of the model. Before the publication of the ‘Better Births’ report we had already identified the need for a focus on the needs of Black and Asian women and those living in IMD-1 areas. Following publication of the report we accelerated our work, and since July 2020 Black and Asian women and those living in IMD-1 areas have been included for care in our MCoC teams. NHS England Ambition target recommendations 2020/21 Percentage achieved by UHS 2021/22 35% of women will be booked to receive care in a continuity of carer team 41.7% 35% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic women booked to receive care in a 75% continuity of carer team 35% of women living in an IMD-1 area booked to receive continuity of carer 80% 6 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 How improvements are measured and monitored MCoC compliance is reviewed at monthly service delivery meetings, at bimonthly maternity safety champion peer review meetings and through the local maternity and neonatal system (LMNS) by analysing data on the regional maternity services dashboard. We monitor the data, which tracks our performance using key performance indicators (KPIs), and report performance and strategic plans to our quality committee and Trust Board. Our statement of purpose is reviewed every six months by the programme’s senior matron to ensure it is responsive and continues to be fit for purpose. We actively seek feedback from our patients and their families and from our staff. What our patients told us: ‘‘‘I was under X’s care from around 19 weeks into my pregnancy after moving to Southampton. She came to visit us at home on most occasions and stayed in regular contact throughout my pregnancy; she also came to visit us at home after I’d given birth too. This was invaluable throughout the pandemic and I felt really reassured having a familiar face throughout.’’ ‘’My midwife always instilled confidence in me and I felt able to contact her and other members of the team with any worries or concerns no matter how small. I’m extremely grateful for the care I received, Thank you.’’ ‘‘I had my third baby in August and due to my fear of hospitals and anything medical I opted for my first home birth. X from the homebirth team was incredible right from the moment she happened to appear (out of nowhere like a fairy godmother) into my midwife appointment just as I was saying I wanted a homebirth but was worried about it… she told me she would contact me to arrange a Zoom call where we could chat and she could answer all questions.’’ ‘’My midwife seemed to have this sixth sense where she could tell when I was anxious about something and all of a sudden was telling me it was all going to be okay. She continued my care at my home each time, which was the first time I’d had any pre-natal care at home and it made me so much more relaxed!’’ ‘’Even in the two weeks after birth if I needed anything for me or for the baby, I just had to call my midwife, and it would either go through to her or a homebirth midwife on call day or night.’’ ‘’I would like to say huge thanks to you and your team for the care you have provided. I am so glad that I was under your team. Your advice at each stage of pregnancy helped me to deliver a healthy baby.’’ ‘’You have always gone above and beyond to make me feel comfortable (as you were aware of my past history). Whenever I started panicking, you calmed me by your friendly support. You had clarified things by providing more information and clarity …. as we were not sure about the options we had.’’ ‘’You made sure that I will get full support from my consultant and GP where I needed. I cannot imagine my pregnancy journey without you.’’ ‘’I didn’t know them (the midwife team) earlier but they made me feel like they were my sisters.’’ ‘’I do not think you could have done more than what you did.’’ ‘’My overall experience is so positive with the support I got from your team.’’ 7 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 What our staff told us: ‘’Working in the team has been the most rewarding thing I have done during my time as a midwife.’’ ‘’The role is so varied day to day and the fluidity it allows encourages you to constantly learn new skills and broadens your outlook on what defines being a midwife.’’ ‘’I have supported families throughout their pregnancy, birth, postnatal period and beyond and because of the relationships you nurture with these families they trust you completely.’’ ‘’My self-confidence at work has grown massively and I now feel happy to facilitate birth at home, in a birth centre or on Labour Ward, wherever my woman wishes.’’ ‘’This has given me exposure to new experiences, which can feel challenging at times, but by having a supportive team around you, advice is never far away. Caseloading has meant I’ve been part of the woman’s wider support network and understand the challenges she may face during her day-to-day life. This enables strong working relationships with other members of the multi-disciplinary team working with the family, such as safeguarding teams/family nurses/health visitors/obstetric team/social workers and more.’’ ‘’You really are at the centre of that family, coordinating their care, to improve their outcomes and their experience whilst accessing maternity care.’’ Key areas identified of opportunities for further improvement Originally our aspirations for 2022/23 were to grow our teams to ensure we had enough resource to offer MCoC to all Black and Asian women and women living in IMD-1 areas. Two new integrated teams came online in January 2022, with plans to develop staff incentives to increase this during the year. We agreed to develop a MCoC team for those in IMD-2 and IMD-3 areas in the west Hampshire area where there are currently no IMD-1 areas. When COVID-19 restrictions relaxed, we had also planned to increase face-to-face engagement with the local maternity workforce and continue to engagement with and sharing good practice across the Southeast region. On 30 March 2022 the final report of the independent review of maternity services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (the Ockenden Report 2022) was published. The report recommended: ‘’All trusts must review and suspend, if necessary, the existing provision and further roll out of Midwifery Continuity of Carer (MCoC) unless they can demonstrate staffing meets safe minimum requirements on all shifts. This will preserve the safety of all pregnant women and families, which is currently compromised by the unprecedented pressures that MCoC models place on maternity services already under significant strain. The reinstatement of MCoC should be withheld until robust evidence is available to support its reintroduction.’’ Following this recommendation UHS has taken the decision to maintain current levels of provision but cease any further roll out. 8 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Figure 2: Priority 2 PRIORITY 2 To support staff wellbeing and recovery Core Dimension: Patient safety and patient experience Achieved Why was this a priority? The health and wellbeing of our people and promoting a healthy work environment is one of our top priorities. Since the start of the pandemic we have focussed on what really makes a difference in supporting people to stay well and healthy and have continued to build on this work during 2021/22. During year we have actively listened to our staff and responded to their feedback by including more “in the moment” support, more regular morale initiatives and creating easier ways to access wellbeing support every day. We have become more flexible and responsive as the year has progressed, provided a range of support and options tailored to the needs of individuals. We have recognised that wellbeing is very personal, and everyone’s approach to promoting and sustaining their own wellness may be different. We appreciated many people were mentally and physically exhausted after the demands of responding to the pandemic. We recognised they would need time, space and support to develop resilience while the pandemic continued, and to recover as pressures eased. We saw that while the overall health and wellbeing scores in the NHS Staff Survey had improve significantly in 2020, the proportion of staff reporting work-related stress had also increased. What have we achieved in 2021/22? During the year we continued to introduce programmes, interventions and wider support offerings. The goal of our model is to ensure our staff can access the most appropriate support at the time and place that they need it. In 2021 we employed a staff wellbeing lead/programme manager and a wellbeing administrator as part of our organisational development (OD) team and tasked them with leading on the development and delivery of the wellbeing programme and interventions. A key area of growth and strength for staff wellbeing during the pandemic and beyond is the joined up working of the wellbeing, psychology, spiritual care, occupational health services and peer practitioner communities. During the early part of 2021 a series of interventions to support reflection and wellness were introduced aiming to provide safe spaces for people to talk, listen, be heard and give feedback on where things could be improved. The OD team worked alongside our psychologists to introduce a variety of different ways that people could be engaged. We invested in the training of peer practitioners called ‘safe space practitioners’ to be able to provide on-site, in the moment, interventions when people needed them. Strengthening that safe space practitioner peer network means we have trained more staff in safe space coaching and support techniques to enable people to access support when needed. The team are open to any suggestions of other areas where staff would find peer support valuable and to deliver thinking environments. 9 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 We also trained appreciative inquiry facilitators to work with staff in self-determined change to enable them to take a positive approach to their own wellbeing, appreciate the things that are going well and adopt a mindset of appreciation and hope. After a successful pilot in May 2021, we recruited over 100 wellbeing champions working all over the Trust across a range of professions and seniority. Wellbeing champions have been given training, tools and resources to lead on championing wellbeing in their areas. They offer signposting to support, monthly champion meetings sharing ideas and practice and regular updates on wellbeing. They are important links on the ground for the wellbeing team and have their own workplace champion pages on Staffnet (our intranet) for sharing information and mutual support. They carry out regular wellbeing walkabouts wearing pink scrubs to make them highly visible. They are often accompanied by our executive directors and senior clinical leaders who are also available to listen, support and generally help raise morale. In the latter part of 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic continued, staff resilience was tested by challenges around increasing staff shortages and the ability for staff to take regular breaks away from clinical areas for rest. We recognised a need for boosting staff morale and devised a wellness and appreciation programme, which took refreshments out to staff including lunch grab bags, fruit boxes, hot drinks and wellbeing treats. To make it quicker and easier for staff to access wellbeing information we launched Windows onto Wellbeing (WoW), a one-stop page on Staffnet consisting of various wellbeing windows each outlining a variety of aspects of wellbeing information and available support, with links and resources. This is being supplemented by wellbeing leaflets with QR codes, posters and video information. A staff Facebook wellbeing page was set up, populated by the wellbeing team and any staff who wish to post. This shows the latest wellbeing information, support and training opportunities updated in real time as well as being a platform for inspirational quotes and for people to share wellbeing practice and thoughts. During 2021/22 we tried to ensure, where possible, that wellbeing was included as an automatic element of all our initiatives and ‘‘business as usual’’. Staff wellbeing was incorporated into many of our educational streams, with wellbeing awareness sessions being included in induction training, team study days and our UHS advocates study day. Team and personal wellbeing action plan templates have been created for use across the organisation, and when our chief nursing officer (CNO) introduced daily ward huddles (‘stop for support’) for our nursing teams, a key element was the opportunity to check on staff wellbeing and offer support. 10 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Teaching on stress management and post-traumatic stress is delivered by various groups and individuals including the wellbeing programme manager, the OD team, the psychology team and the wellbeing team. Wellbeing conversation workshops have been offered with good uptake and more are being rolled out in 2022/23. Mindfulness and mindful self-compassion workshops were commissioned in 2021/22 and have proved popular. Other initiatives led by our wellbeing programme manager include our domestic abuse project which works with our partners Standing Together to support staff impacted by domestic abuse, our suicide prevention support advisory group, facilitating reflective practice guidance and a small working group which is supporting the patient safety incident response framework (PSIRF) agenda by exploring the impact of being involved in adverse incidents. We have an embedded peer support service to provide psychological support to our staff in the context of traumatic events at work. The service is modelled on an evidence-based approach using a trauma risk management (TRiM) methodology which helps to identify risks for people who may suffer poor mental health following traumatic experiences. Our TRiM practitioners support those who have experienced traumatic events and we have increased the number of our practitioners during 2021/22. UHS is part of a regional mental health first aid (MHFA) faculty which works in partnership across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and is currently in the process of training peer practitioners as MHFA champions. Our ambition is that our practitioners will go on to participate in ‘train the trainer’ sessions, sharing training across the integrated care system (ICS). We also looked at ways to demonstrate how much we value our staff. We wanted to celebrate the hard work, commitment and dedication consistently shown in rising to the challenges of the pandemic. We have promoted our long service awards, which recognise continuous service to the Trust, and our retirement gift scheme, which rewards employees after completing 20 years or more service in the NHS. In December 2021, a festive card containing a gift token from the CEO and Chair was given to all substantive UHS staff in recognition and appreciation of every person’s effort and dedication to our patients and families during the year. We have asked our staff for feedback about our initiatives and used their insights to help shape ongoing work. We have developed a UHS Insights document which summarised how staff were feeling and how the feedback they have given will support people to move forward This is illustrated in the infographics below. 11 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 What our staff tell us: “It all means I can allow myself time, space and kindness to deal with the difficulties during/post [pandemic] knowing that others felt/are feeling the same way I am.’’ ‘’I really appreciate the way the hospital has prioritised staff wellbeing. It has made us feel as though we are a priority and really valued.’’ ‘’I have been impressed with how many different options there have been to help us all get through this and help us look after ourselves.’’ ‘’I’ve never known staff health be so important to the Trust, and it’s made a big difference to how I’ve coped.’’ “I don’t know if you ever get to hear how people you’ve seen through TRiM are getting on or not... so I thought I’d give you a little update. I’m back at work on week 2 of a phased return… I’m delighted to say that so far it seems to have worked wonders!’’ 12 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 ‘’The main reason for this email is to say thank you. You were pivotal in the whole journey ensuring I got on the right track to restore my head health early. Without you it’s highly likely I’d have probably gone back to work and have ended up in a much worse position and the whole process would have been a lot longer and arduous to get back to where I am today.” “Listening to other staff members’ struggles and realising that we are not on our own, we are part of a big team.” “Hearing the different stories but appreciating we were united in suffering, learning, confusion and hope has been helpful.” ‘’I can see senior leaders are human with the same insecurities as us; they’ve been in our shoes at some point.’’ ‘Listening to the situations that others have faced was a real reminder that we have had a shared experience which makes things feel easier. The honesty and openness of others was both enriching and humbling. I left feeling like my faith in humanity had been restored.’’ “I found that listening to others’ experiences was extremely valuable. Although I was obviously aware that we have ‘all been in this together’ it has at times felt quite lonely and difficult.” How improvements will be measured and monitored The decision-making, measurement, monitoring and governance of the wellbeing programme is managed by the healthy workplace and wellbeing group which reports into the UHS people board, and then into the people and OD committee. Membership includes representation from occupational health, psychology, spiritual care, peer practitioner groups, HR and health and safety teams and works to support the NHS health and wellbeing framework (2021/22). The people and OD committee reports into Trust Board. Key areas identified of opportunities for further improvement It is important to us that we continue to lead compassionately and inclusively, so our people are involved in decision-making, feel hopeful for the future and are confident in bringing their whole selves to work no matter who they are. We want the culture at UHS to reflect our commitment to prioritising the health and wellbeing of all staff so that it is a consideration in every decision we make. We are working to build confidence and trust in the vast array of support we have developed over the last two years, to drive uptake now awareness is high and to help people find effective help. Risk of burnout due to exhaustion remains a concern and efforts will be focussed in this area for 2022/23. We have identified temporary wellbeing hub space for staff while we wait for the new staff wellbeing building, which has been made possible with the funding from the proceeds of the auction of the donated Banksy ‘Game Changer’ artwork. This new building will house a gym, café and space for reflective groups to meet as well as being a base from which the wellbeing team will provide its support. In 2022/23 several UHS staff will taking part in the first regional diploma in health and wellbeing and a regional wellbeing festival is planned for July 2022, in which we will be taking an active lead. Our 2021/22 annual NHS staff survey results are positive with our scores relating to wellbeing being above the benchmark average. Contributing factors to wellbeing such as staff engagement, morale, staff experience in areas such as kindness and respect, feeling valued and trusted to do their job were all above the benchmark average. Our staff experience scored related to violence and aggression at work, bullying, and harassment have also improved and are close to the benchmark average. Our score relating to staff experiencing work-related stress has remained the same at 42%, which has not declined since 2017. We will continue to work towards improving our staff survey results during 2022/23. 13 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Figure 3: Priority 3 PRIORITY 3 Managing risks to patients delayed for treatment and restoring elective programmes Core Dimension: Clinical effectiveness Partially achieved Why was this a priority? The pandemic had a significant impact on waiting times as elective activity reduced to focus on treating patients with COVID-19. In March 2020 only 29 patients were waiting over 52 weeks for treatment, but by March 2021 this had increased to 3,311 patients. These delays clearly have a significant impact on people’s quality of life and, at times, outcomes. During the first wave of the pandemic elective activity reduced substantially, with only 35% of April 2019 levels of activity taking place in April 2020. By 2021 there was a real imperative to move towards managing the pandemic while continuing to treat as many other patients as possible and making sure we communicated effectively with those waiting to help manage the uncertainty and to reduce the backlog where possible. What have we achieved in 2021/22? During the first year of the pandemic the Trust set up a clinical prioritisation process, led by the chief medical officer (CMO) that focused on prioritising all patients waiting for surgery to ensure we continued to treat people based on need and urgency. The Trust also implemented a clinical assurance framework (CAF), designed to measure and mitigate risks across the specialities as well as ensuring that resources (e.g., theatres) were allocated in line with anticipated levels of potential harm. During 2021/22 our hospitals continued to see significant levels of COVID-19 demand with the end of the first wave lasting into May 2021. From September 2021 the number of COVID-19 patients started to increase again, rising to approximately 100 in December 2021 before gradually decreasing. A further wave followed in March 2022, with over 100 COVID-19 patients being cared for in the Trust. Despite this, the Trust continued to see more elective patients in 2021/22 than in 2020/21: Figure 4: Number of elective patients seen April 2020-March 2022 This was despite more stringent and time-consuming infection control measures than prior to the pandemic and reducing theatre capacity to support intensive care staffing. At times, we had up to seven wards repurposed for caring for patients with COVID-19. 14 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Cancer care We are proud to have maintained all our cancer services throughout the pandemic and believe that we continue to offer clinically effective services to patients. Despite the number of patients being treated for cancer increasing throughout 2021/22 due to a rise in referrals that occurred after each COVID-19 wave, we were able to respond to this increase. Figure 5: Cancer care patient tracking list July 2020- March 2022 When COVID-19 restrictions in England were relaxed, both in September 2021 and again in February 2022, we saw higher volumes of referrals and two week waits (2WW) performance for urgent referrals has been affected. This is mainly in the breast service with other tumour site performance being broadly maintained. We have seen a relatively stable level of 31-day performance (the target for at least 96% of patients to start a first treatment for a new primary cancer within 31 days of the decision to treat) and 62-day performance (the target that there is no more than 62 days wait between the date the hospital receives an urgent referral for suspected cancer and the start of treatment). We note that our 62-day performance shows us to be in line with other tertiary teaching hospitals, which illustrates that other hospitals are seeing similar challenges to UHS in relation to cancer. When benchmarking against similar trusts (other large teaching hospitals), we have continued to perform well, and we continue to prioritise cancer services to reduce the number of patients awaiting treatment, including reducing those waiting more than 62 days. Outpatient services At the start of the pandemic in 2020 we saw a seismic shift towards non-face-to-face outpatient appointments. The national aspiration was to maintain 25% of patients seen non-face-to-face in 2021/22. Figure 6: proportion of face to face and non-face to face appointments at UHS 15 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Although the proportion of virtual appointments has naturally reduced compared to levels seen during the pandemic (as some clinics have reverted to a face-to-face service), we have continued to offer virtual outpatient appointments through 2021/22. We recognise that in some cases this provides a more convenient service for patients. We have also rolled out a patient texting programme, which provided an additional safety net. For the specialties with the highest number of long waiting patients we text patients to ask whether their symptoms have worsened and whether they need to speak to a clinician. If they confirm that they do need to speak to a clinician, an outpatient appointment is scheduled for them. We have also used technology to continue to offer virtual appointments where appropriate and are conducting approximately 30% of our appointments virtually. The Trust has maintained this as a target, and although we have returned to face-to-face appointments where necessary, virtual appointments continue to be a core part of our strategy with our outpatient clinical activity increased to achieve the target. Figure 7: Proportion of virtual appointments Diagnostics During 2021/22 UHS significantly increased the volume of diagnostic activity as the pandemic eased and services adjusted their ways of working, focussing on reducing the longest diagnostic waits first. Despite an increase in diagnostic referrals, the size of the diagnostic waiting list has been held steady, alongside an improved performance. Alongside community partners in Solent NHS Trust and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust successfully bid for phase one funding to develop a community diagnostic hub. The main hub will be based at the Royal South Hants Hospital (RSH), with other targeted diagnostics being delivered in Lymington New Forest Hospital and Hythe Hospital. These hubs will support a one-stop approach for conditions, delivering tests closer to home and releasing acute diagnostic capacity for the support of inpatients and complex patients. In late 2021 the Trust completed a Trust-wide patient-led waiting list validation of all patients waiting 33 weeks or longer. Discussions as to how best to continue this as part of a rolling programme rather than a standalone exercise are ongoing. The Trust worked with third party supplier partners to survey patients by text message or email linked to a secure portal, backed up by paper letters where patient details for digital contact were not available. This saved administrative time, as well as generating a far higher response than traditional methods of validating waiting lists. The purpose of this initiative was to reassure every patient and confirm if patients were ready to attend (and ask them to indicate a timescale if not), as well as indicate whether COVID-19 concerns were a factor in their wish to delay. We also wanted to know if patients’ circumstances had changed, to offer the opportunity of contact with the Trust about their specific circumstances and offer practical and holistic services from the patient support hub. 16 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 As well as following up patients whose responses did not match their clinical status, or whose responses flagged concern, all patients requesting contact were followed up by care group administrative and/or clinical teams. Referral to treatment (RTT) During 2021/22 UHS has had to continue to manage the impact of COVID-19 on patients on the elective waiting list. We are conscious that some patients have waited a long time from referral to treatment. As referrals have increased post-lockdown ( peaking in Summer 2021) , the total number of patients waiting has grown. However, we have reduced and held steady the total number of patients waiting over 52 weeks through 2021/22 Figure 8: RTT Patient treatment list Figure 9 : Patients waiting over 52+ weeks for treatment In 2021/22 we noted a small, but growing, cohort of patients who had waited more than 104 weeks for treatment due to pressures and constraints associated with the pandemic. This grew from 13 in March 2021, peaking at 171 in December 2021. Throughout 2021/22, our operational teams developed clear plans to address these longest waiters. At the end of March 2022, besides patients who had requested delay of their treatment, we only had five patients who had waited more than 104 weeks for their treatment. Actions to increase capacity and treat these patients include use of the independent sector for specific cohorts of patients (e.g., in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) service) and additional weekend capacity through waiting list initiatives (e.g., Urology ‘super weekends’). 17 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 We have continued to make good progress against our target and, when we remove the patients who are choosing to wait, we are ahead of the plan. While patients wait for surgery, we have continued to assess them using the CAF, where patients are clinically reviewed based on their previous clinical priority. We use a rating system where priority is given to patients most likely to deteriorate clinically, with P1 being the highest and P4 the lowest risk. Triage takes account of vital signs, pre-hospital clinical course, mechanism of injury and other medical conditions and is a dynamic process and patients are reassessed frequently (e.g., P2 patients every eight weeks, P3 patients every three months, P4 patients every six months). Based on this clinical review patients may be invited for an outpatient review. What our patients tell us: ‘’I was very worried about not getting my surgery because of the pandemic, but the hospital was good at keeping in touch so I felt I knew what was going on’’ ‘’The news was so bad my dad didn’t want to go to the hospital for his tests because he thought the people with covid should have the beds, but he was phoned and the lady was really good at reassuring him that he was important too so he had his tests’’ ‘’I was going to wait until the pandemic was over to have my operation, but they got in touch and said they could do it and got me in and did it anyway and I was so pleased’’ ‘’Not having to go to the hospital for my outpatient appointment was so much easier. No parking problems, and the doctor was just as good as if I’d been there. I hope this carries on‘’ ‘’I was so scared my cancer treatment was going to be stopped, but they sent me to another hospital to have it. I’ve read in the papers about people not getting their treatment, so I am so relieved my hospital could still do it’’. How improvements will be measured and monitored We have a robust reporting processes monitoring this activity which runs from care group and divisional governance and operational reporting through our Trust executive committee (TEC), quality committee and Trust Board. We work closely with our chief operating officer (COO) and executive team to maintain a constant focus. Key areas identified of opportunities for further improvement We will continue to work to restore elective activity and reduce waits during 2022/23. 18 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Figure 11: Priority 4 PRIORITY 4 Reducing healthcare associated infection (HCAI) Core Dimension: Patient safety Achieved Why was this a priority? Healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) are among the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality in healthcare settings. We know prevention of HCAIs is central to providing safe and high- quality healthcare, good patient experience and maintaining safety. It also improves length of stay and helps with our financial and operational management. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), HCAIs are common with an estimated 1.4 million affected at any given time and prevalence varying in the developed world from 5.1% to 11.6%. The most recent point prevalence survey of HCAIs in acute hospitals in England (2016), reported the prevalence of HCAIs as 6.6%, and a tertiary care hospital like UHS will be at risk from high levels as it treats many vulnerable patients needing complex support and procedures. In addition, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has also been identified by the WHO as one of the top ten major threats to public health. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics in health and farming has led to significant challenges of multi-drug resistant bacteria in certain parts of the world. No new classes of antibiotics have been discovered since 1980, and we are facing the possibility of a world where antibiotics may no longer be effective. The UK five-year national action plan for tackling antimicrobial resistance (2019-2024) outlines key actions for focusing on infection prevention and control (IPC) and addressing AMR. Consequently, AMR and IPC are important for any healthcare organisation, and a system-wide approach to promoting and monitoring the judicious use of antimicrobials to preserve their future effectiveness is essential. At UHS we have a dedicated infection prevention team (IPT) committed to supporting the organisation in preventing and reducing HCAIs. The team is made up of a diverse set of professionals with significant experience in infection control, with leadership and oversight from the CNO and director of infection prevention and control. The team drives improvements in patient outcomes by supporting reductions in HCAIs. What have we achieved in 2021/22? Unsurprisingly the COVID-19 pandemic has remained a key area of focus for UHS in 2021/22, with a continued emphasis on preventing transmission of infection while supporting the recovery and restoration of services. In-hospital transmission of COVID-19 Throughout 2021/22 our COVID ZERO campaigns promoting safety across the workforce and services throughout the pandemic (wash, walk, wear, test and fresh air), and our follow-up #DontGoViral 2021 campaigns continued to be prioritised. Our COVID ZERO campaign has earned award-winning recognition for ‘Best crisis comms’ at the 2022 PRWeek UK Corporate, City & Public Affairs Awards. 19 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 What have we achieved in 2021/22? Strategies to prevent and reduce the risk of in-hospital transmission of COVID-19 have remained a priority and have been subject to ongoing review, with actions and improvements taken to reduce the ongoing risk of hospital onset infection and outbreaks. The figure below shows the trend of hospital-onset cases of COVID-19 from April 2021 to March 2022 and follows similar trends as the local and national prevalence of COVID-19. Figure 10: Cases of Hospital onset COVID-19*. *Classified as “hospital onset-definite hospital acquired” (HO. dHA) when the first positive test is at least 15 days following admission and “hospital onset-probable hospital acquired” when a first positive specimen occurred on days eight to 14 (HO. pHA) following admission Where cases of hospital acquired infection have occurred, they have been investigated using a root cause analysis (RCA) investigation process either as individual case reviews or part of a wider outbreak investigation. Hospital outbreaks of COVID-19 are robustly managed by the IPT using a formal incident/ outbreak management process and reported in the national outbreak management system with ongoing monitoring until 28 days following the last confirmed case. Learning from individual case investigations or outbreaks is shared promptly across the Trust and used to inform ongoing IPC actions and strategies. Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) UHS has seen wide fluctuations in the monthly number of C. diff cases with evidence of cases rising a few months after a major wave of COVID-19 infections. Reasons for the increase are not clear, but are likely to be multifactorial, and possibly related to the use of high-risk antibiotics during the first waves of the pandemic. This increase is being reported nationally with increases in rates of both community onset and hospital onset cases according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) surveillance data. 20 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Figure 11: Trends in hospital acquired C. diff * *Is classified into community-onset (COHA) and Hospital onset (HOHA) depending on identification of C. diff in community or hospital respectively. MRSA In 2021/22, UHS recorded cases of hospital acquired MRSA bloodstream infection as illustrated in the figure below. Figure 12: Number of patients who acquired MRSA (non-bloodstream infection) during their hospital stay The downward trend is representative of the trend that has been seen over the last few years. 21 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Blood stream infections (BSI) All BSI cases are reviewed by the IPT to identify contributing factors or gaps in practice which may have contributed to infection occurring. They are investigated in detail to identify any learning that may drive improvements. Overall our reviews have noted that cases are complex with multiple risk factors for infection. A proportion of cases of BSI are assessed as unavoidable, but where infection is thought to have been preventable (e.g., occurred because of the presence of an invasive device such as an intravenous line or urinary catheter), this is followed up with appropriate investigation to identify emerging trends/themes, organisational learning and targeted improvement actions. The NHS Standard Contract 2021/22 includes quality requirements for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts to minimise rates of defined Gram-negative bloodstream infections to threshold levels set by NHS England and NHS Improvement. This includes klebsiella species, pseudomonas and E-coli. Monitoring of MSSA bloodstream infections is also undertaken. Hospital BSIs are defined as those that occur after the first 48 hours of admission (post 48-hour BSI). Figure 13: The number of cases of hospital acquired E coli BSI Figure 14 : The number of cases of hospital acquired klebsiella BSI 22 QUALITY ACCOUNT 2021/22 Figure 15 : The number of cases of hospital acquired pseudomonas BSI Figure 16 : The number of cases of hospital acquired MSSA BSI Vigorous focus and attention to IPC strategies targeted at reducing the risk of hospital transmission of COVID-19 has been central to our ongoing response to the pandemic, whilst at the same time focusing on restoring operational activity. Despite the challenges, UHS has one of the lowest rates of MRSA BSI in the country, and hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection is lower than in comparable hospitals. The health, safety and wellbeing of our patients, communities and staff has remained a priority,
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Annual report 2021-2022

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2021/22 Incorporating the quality report University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust Annual Report and Accounts 2021/22 Presented to Parliament
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