 |
 | | Welcome to Blueprint | | Members of the New Hospital Programme’s leadership team paid a visit to Watford General Hospital this month to hear more about our plans, which include transforming models of care as well as our proposals for new and refurbished buildings.
We were heartened by the Chancellor’s autumn statement and we hope to hear more detail about what this means for the New Hospital Programme (NHP) later this year or early next.
The NHP team was particularly impressed with our work on the virtual hospital which is enabling us to provide consultant-led care in patients’ homes. This successful initiative has drawn interest from overseas in addition to numerous UK conferences where our team has been asked to present its findings.
Our pioneering virtual hospital uses sophisticated digital systems to safely look after patients in their own homes. They are monitored closely and colleagues from partner NHS organisations provide home visits. Read what our patients are saying about this service in our recent press release on being a finalist in the prestigious Health Service Journal awards and watch our video.
Changing how we work is part of our design plans; we will create ‘hubs’ from where patients are monitored and will consider how reductions in the ‘length of stay’ for certain patient groups as well as reduced admissions and re-admissions will impact on the number of inpatient beds needed. We also look carefully at population growth when making our plans.
Not all of our funding will come via the NHP route. Our staff have been working with partners across the wider health system to secure investment. The fruits of their labour come hard and fast, from securing funding for diagnostic facilities at St Albans City Hospital (SACH) and Hemel Hempstead to now exploring the possibility of expanding theatre capacity at SACH to address the backlog in planned surgery. More news will follow on the SACH theatre plans and Hemel Hempstead diagnostics upgrade in next month’s newsletter.
But it’s not just our bricks and mortar that are being improved – new information technology is delivering faster healthcare to more patients. Read on to find out about our new patient portal going live in the new year. And if you are a patient and can spare an hour please do join our online focus group to help make the portal the best it can be.
The economy is high on the political agenda but so is the climate emergency. So first up in this issue of Blueprint is Martin Keane, our energy and sustainability manager who tells us how we are addressing the demands of both the economy and climate through actions that green up our hospitals and help us direct more money to patient care.
| | |
|
Meet Martin Keane our energy and sustainability lead
We aim to be one of the greenest trusts in the NHS and Martin has been leading the way in driving this agenda.
He says: “We know we have work to do to catch up on sustainability, but we are hugely committed, and I think the proof is in our recent successes and plans for the future. Our green plan has been in place since February this year and we are full steam ahead.”
A £1m retrofit of LED lights replacing every non-LED light across our three acute hospitals will save hundreds of thousands of pounds and many tonnes of carbon annually – with ever increasing energy prices this investment will pay back financially in less than a year.
And we’ve worked with medical teams to reduce our use of desflurane (one of the most environmentally damaging anaesthetic gases) by almost 90% through better use and finding alternative, cleaner anaesthetic gases.
Looking forward to the redevelopment of our three hospital sites Martin says: “Our redevelopment plans give us a fantastic opportunity to upgrade our estate utilising the best technology and building materials. We will be able to operate and maintain our buildings more efficiently and effectively and help the NHS meet its net zero carbon obligations.
“We hope to build one of the lowest carbon hospitals in the UK. It will be a well-insulated non draughty building utilising ground-source heat pumps amongst other low or zero carbon technologies.”
We already have 1,248 solar panels on the roof of our fantastic new multi-storey car park which can generate up to up to 468kW of energy. The car park also has more than 120 electric vehicle charging points (see article below).
Our incredible staff are also hugely supportive in our ambition. Every member of staff who leaves their car at home to try a greener form of travel, reduces or recycles an item of waste or switches off a light or monitor brings us closer to meeting our targets.
We are working with staff to reduce single use items wherever possible and disposing of them correctly. Our recent ‘Gloves Off’ campaign tackles the legacy of the pandemic where using non-sterile, single-use gloves became common place. We are working with the infection prevention and control team to bring medical staff back to the practice of only using these gloves where necessary. Staff are also getting better at disposing of them correctly so as not mix them in with wastes that can be recycled. We believe this project has the potential to save over £100,000 every year.
Martin concludes; “There’s always a balance to be struck – how much funding do we put into sustainability measures whilst not detracting from patient care – but we know there are many actions that can deliver great care in a more sustainable way and that is where we focus our efforts.
“It is clear to me that the climate emergency is a health emergency – a fact that is increasingly acknowledged throughout the NHS. I am extremely excited to be part of the trust's efforts to be a greener organisation. However, the age and condition of our infrastructure, particularly at Watford, limits our ability to make sweeping changes, so we look forward to progressing with our redevelopment plans which are great for our planet as well as our patients.”
|
|
|
Our multi-storey car park design secures top spot
Watford General Hospital's multi-storey car park has won a national design award at the British Parking Awards 2022.
Its layout, improved disability access, quality of the construction, use of number plate recognition and contribution to carbon reduction are all factors which impressed the judges.
The new £40m facility is right next to the land earmarked for our new hospital and will link directly to the new building (which has been granted outline planning permission).
The route to the car park is along the recently opened Thomas Sawyer Way, taking cars away from Vicarage Road, which can be busy during rush hour. Part of Thomas Sawyer Way is restricted to ambulances and this ensures a swift arrival on site for emergency patients.
Feedback from patients and visitors told us how much better it would be to pay on exit for parking, rather than try to guess the amount of time needed via ‘pay and display’ machines. We’re glad to announce that our new car park (which has a three-laned entrance) uses number plate recognition and pay on exit technology. Also, the first 30 minutes is free.
Tim Duggleby, the trust's associate redevelopment programme director, said: "The car park is a great first step to our redevelopment plans. The quality of the construction and design and the speed with which it was built, during the height of the pandemic, are a positive sign of what can be achieved. I’d also like to pay tribute to the builders who brought these plans to life with minimum disruption to patients, staff and visitors."
Additionally, measures to reduce carbon emissions have been used. There are more than 120 electric charging points which will go live in early 2023. And there are 1,248 solar panels on the car park’s south facing roof which will generate up to 468 kw of low carbon energy.
The design award jointly recognises the NHS trust and its partners Fatkin, Kier and HUBER (the architects, developer and car park system provider).
You can read the full press release on the award.
|
|
|
Patient portal takes us another step forward in digital care
Digital technology is transforming healthcare, and so we are transforming our digital technology. Set to launch this winter, our new patient portal is an online system that will allow patients to easily view parts of their digital health record safely and securely from their computer or smartphone.
On the patient portal patients will be able to find their test results, look at their recorded allergies, procedures they’ve had, check the date and time of appointments, receive messages about their care, find copies of letters about their care, complete questionnaires and more.
Until our portal is up and running later this winter, you can watch this video to get an idea of what it will look like and how patients can use it.
Our patient portal is just one of the many ways we are digitising health care. We are working with our partners to ensure that our IT systems ‘talk to’ each other so that, with the consent of patients, we can share data and support more effective care for patients across the whole health and care systems.
We’re also reducing the need for face to face outpatient appointments. Instead, we are inviting patients to have virtual, online consultations wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so. This is saving time and travel costs for patients. However, we encourage anyone who is offered a virtual consultation to request an in-person appointment if that’s their preference.
Read on to the next article to find out how you can help shape the portal.
|
|
|
Calling all patients – can you help us with the patient portal?
Can you spare some time to help us to make the patient portal the best it can be? Following on from the article above, before we launch our new portal later this winter, we’re asking patients to help us test the system to make sure it works well for you.
Other hospital trusts have had great feedback on their recently launched patient portals. Our version will allow you to easily view parts of your digital health record safely and securely from your computer or smartphone. You’ll be able to view your test results, appointments, letters about your care and much more.
If you can spare some time on Tuesday 6 December from 11-12pm to join our online focus group we’d be very grateful. We will demonstrate how the portal will work and ask for your feedback on aspects of design, accessibility of information and best ways of contacting patients so that we can hear your thoughts about it and understand your preferred options.
Please join the focus group using this link on Tuesday.
It would be helpful if you could also register your interest prior to the session by completing this form which simply asks for your name and email address.
If you require any additional details about this meeting, or have any questions about the patient portal, please email khadine.parkinson@nhs.net .
We’d really appreciate your time and participation!
|
|
|
Update for community group
We were pleased to present at the St Albans and Harpenden Patient Group this month to give an update on redevelopment progress at St Albans City Hospital as well as our hospitals at Hemel Hempstead and Watford.
Members heard more about the great need for a new hospital at Watford for all west Hertfordshire residents - how patients deserve a more pleasant environment and staff deserve a building they can be proud of. The group learned how the site is too cramped and unreliable with recurrent water leaks, subsidence and lift failures being just a few of the problems of the aging buildings where a refurbishment just won’t do.
Louise Halfpenny, our director of communications, described how the escalating work to meet standards to keep our sites in good order impacts on the amount of money for patient care which is why we are pressing the New Hospital Programme to provide the much needed funding for the new hospital at Watford.
Happily, our hospital buildings at Hemel Hempstead and St Albans are in better shape but they are still in need of some rebuild and refurbishment. St Albans City Hospital is set to receive £13m for phase 1 of a community diagnostic centre due to open in 2024. Funding applications are being made for a similar centre at Hemel Hempstead hospital. Our redevelopment team is also looking to gain planning permission for expansion of the hospital’s theatres to meet the surgery backlog.
You can view the presentation slide pack from the meeting here.
We are always glad to come and talk to community groups about our redevelopment work for our three hospitals and hear your views and experiences. If you would like us to come and talk to your group, please do email us at westherts.redevelopment@nhs.net.
|
|
|
Theatre 5 prepares to open at Watford General
We are excited that our new Theatre 5 will open just before Christmas following its final ventilation checks and deep clean. It is spacious, well-equipped and benefits from being an ultra-clean theatre suite.
Theatre 5 includes cutting edge technology such as AV equipment which means that cameras can be used to assist with operations.
The £7m theatre reconfiguration includes a reception area and new corridors and staircases linking the areas together. Last month we also opened doors to the new recovery room.
Staff are thrilled that the project has also included new changing rooms plus a wellbeing and relaxation area for the team whilst remaining in a dedicated clinically clean environment.
As the reconfiguration completes it now offers five fully functional theatres equipped for a variety of surgical specialties, including robot-assisted surgery. Work continues to upgrade theatres 1-4 and there will also be a procedure room for less complex surgery.
Whilst our longer term plans are for a new theatre complex in a new building, this work was needed to make sure that our main theatres and procedure rooms comply with space and ventilation standards.
|
|
| Catch up with redevelopment news | Blueprint - You can read past editions of the Blueprint newsletter on our website under ‘newsletters’. Share the news and get your colleagues and friends to subscribe by emailing westherts.redevelopment@nhs.net
A-Z information sheet - This document addresses frequently asked questions and the main themes from our engagement and redevelopment programme. It will be updated regularly and we will provide details of where information has been added or amended. | |
|
