Visit to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Earlier this week our chief executive Daniel Elkeles enjoyed a visit to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

Daniel reflected: "It was clear just how rooted the hospital is in meeting the specific needs of its local communities. It serves a large and mainly young population with high deprivation levels, and it was great to hear about the joint clinical strategy work with Airedale NHS Foundation Trust to create sustainable acute services for their part of West Yorkshire. 

"There were two standouts from the visit. Firstly the Command Centre, with technology that is particularly impressive in highlighting the specific needs for individual patients and holding the caseload for the hospital at night team.

"It also clearly sets out the view for the next 24 hours to show how many patients have a planned discharge, ensuring that everything needed for the discharge has been properly planned. The air of calmness and quiet in the room (before we came!) was remarkable.

"The second standout was its hospital at home scheme for children, to respond to the huge increase in the younger population over the last few years. The patient volume the team now manage is the equivalent of 10 inpatient beds, meaning the trust has not had to increase its bed base. They have managed this by: 

🔵 Developing specific pathways for wheeze, croup, gastroenteritis, bronchitis and jaundice.
🔵 Starting their first surgical pathway on suspected appendicitis.
🔵 Accepting referrals from GPs and paramedics, just as it would if it was the more traditional model focused on elderly care. 

"The patient and clinical feedback is very high with many other services coming to learn and train with the team. The trust even hosted a national conference for others running similar services.

"Thank you so much to Mel, Mark and team for such a great and stimulating visit."