15 October 2008
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, which runs
eight city centre hospitals and the Central Health Clinic, has
received two good ratings in the Healthcare Commissions annual
health check (for the year April 2007 to March 2008).
The Healthcare Commissions annual health check is the most
comprehensive assessment of performance ever undertaken in the NHS,
providing a detailed picture of the state of public healthcare in
England. Every one of the countrys 391 NHS trusts is involved.
Two main elements make up the annual health check - use of
resources and quality of services. University Hospitals
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust achieved a score of good for quality
of services. For use of resources, the Trust also achieved a
good rating.
Dr Graham Rich, Chief Executive of University Hospitals Bristol
NHS Foundation Trust, says:
Although we are pleased for patients, staff and local people
that the quality of our services have been rated good, we are
disappointed to narrowly miss out on an excellent rating this
year.
Despite dropping from excellent to good in this category, our
performance has continued to improve in most areas. There are a few
areas where we did not do as well as we would have liked and we
have already started to address these issues.
We have come a long way on our journey to provide the highest
quality healthcare but there is clearly more work to be done if we
are to achieve the very highest standards and this organisation
will continue to strive for excellence in everything it does.
We are delighted to get a good rating for use of resources, up
from fair last year. The Trust is now in a much stronger financial
position. This is good news for patients because it allows us to
plan ahead with confidence as a Foundation Trust and push ahead
with major capital schemes to replace old clinical accommodation
with new state-of-the-art buildings.
The Trust has received high scores for clinical performance in
every national rating assessment to date.
The quality of services rating uses a range of indicators to
measure performance. The components were separated into three
categories:
¢ Existing national targets - The score for this category
was fully met.
¢ Assessment of compliance with core standards - The
score for this category was almost met.
¢ New national targets - The score for this category was
good.
Existing national targets
There were 10 existing targets, of which UH Bristol achieved eight.
Those the Trust achieved included:
¢ Maintain a maximum of 26 weeks for inpatients.
¢ Maintain a maximum wait of 13 weeks for an outpatient
appointment.
¢ Maintain a maximum wait of two months from urgent referral
to treatment for all cancers.
¢ Maintain a maximum waiting time of one month from diagnosis
to treatment for all cancers.
¢ Maintain a two week maximum wait for rapid access chest pain
clinics.
¢ Maintain a two week maximum wait from urgent GP referral to
first outpatient appointment for all urgent suspected cancer
referrals.
¢ Maintain the four-hour maximum wait in A&E from arrival
to admission, transfer or discharge.
¢ Maintain a three month maximum wait for
revascularisation.
Core standards
The Trust achieved an overall almost met score and was compliant
with 41 of the 42 core standards components, which cover areas
including patient safety, waiting times, whether patients are
treated with dignity and whether everything possible is being done
to control infection and ensure cleanliness.
New national targets
The Government's new national targets are goals for the entire NHS,
which aim to improve the health of the population in England. UH
Bristol attained a good score for this category. The
Trust achieved all but three of the 10 targets. Those targets
the Trust achieved:
¢ Halve the rise in obesity among children by 2010, as part
of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a
whole.
¢ Increase the participation of problem drug users in drug
treatment programmes by 2008; and increase year on year the
proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment
programmes.
¢ Reduce health inequalities by 2010.
¢ Reduce the under-18 conception rate by 2010, as part of a
broader strategy to improve sexual health.
¢ Secure national improvements in the NHS patient experience
by 2008.
¢ Substantially reduce mortality rates by 2010 from suicide
and undetermined injury.
¢ Improve health outcomes for people with long term conditions
by offering a personalised care plan for vulnerable people most at
risk; and reduce emergency bed days by 2008 through improved care
in primary care and community settings for people with long term
conditions.
Use of resources
The use of resources rating is based on a detailed review of UH
Bristol's financial management carried as part of the Audit
Commissions Auditors' Local Evaluation assessment, which covers
five areas: financial reporting, financial management; financial
standing; internal control; and value for money (economy,
efficiency and effectiveness).
The Trusts financial standing was found to be strong, as all
financial targets were achieved over at least the last three years.
All other areas were assessed as good including financial
management and value for money.
At the end of this financial year in March, UH Bristol declared
a surplus of £12.8 million (with an income of £414.7
million). The Trust has broken even (or better) for five
years in a row.
