News from Cwm Taf University Health Board!
Cwm Taf University Health Board held its latest Board meeting on Wednesday July 5th at Ynysmeurig House in Abercynon. This bulletin sets out the key news from the meeting about the health board and healthcare provision in Cwm Taf.
Full Board papers can be found here but if you have any queries or questions about the issues discussed please do not hesitate to contact the communications team at cwmtaf.news@wales.nhs.uk
Action on Hearing Loss – Excellence Wales Awards
The health board was successful at the Action on Hearing Loss Excellence Wales Awards recently for its work in ensuring that deaf people are supported when ill or facing health-related issues. The award was won for work undertaken in supplying hearing equipment to wards and departments throughout our hospitals which helps people to communicate effectively with health professionals ensuring dignity and confidentiality.
Glenys Jones, sensory loss project manager has also trained key staff in each area and provided information packs on how to use the equipment and how to communicate with people who have difficulty hearing.
In addition 11 members of staff have recently completed the British Sign Language Level 1 Course and joined the Board for lunch and presentation of their certificates by the Chairman of the Board.
Cwm Taf staff shine at annual recognition awards!
The Staff Recognition Event was held on Wednesday June 21st at the Miskin Manor Hotel in Llantrisant. The evening highlighted the many examples of best practice within the Health Board that have improved the quality and safety of our services, ranging from leadership, improving the patient experience and also our partnership working. This year, we had an additional award – ‘The Harry Stevens Memorial Award for Best Teacher’ which was introduced in memory of the Health Board’s former Head of Resuscitation and Clinical Skills, Mr Harry Stevens who sadly passed away in 2016.
The Chairman’s Award was given to four members of staff: Bethan Marsh, Clinical Records Modernisation Project Manager, Mr Shakir Mustafa, Consultant Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgeon, Mr Chris White, Chief Operating Officer/Director of Therapies and Health Science and Ms Sian Williams, a Staff Nurse in the Emergency Care Centre at Prince Charles Hospital.
New chairman appointed to Cwm Taf University Health Board
Professor Marcus Longley has been appointed Chair of Cwm Taf University Health Board and will commence his four year term of office in October 2017. Professor Longley will replace Dr Chris Jones, who has served the maximum term as chairman of the Board, which ends this autumn after eight years.
Currently Vice Chair of the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Professor Longley has been a Special Advisor for Health to the Welsh Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, and is currently an Expert Advisor to the Bevan Commission, having previously been a Member.
He is also Professor of Applied Health Policy at the University of South Wales, where he is Director of the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care. Earlier this year he was appointed the Board Member for Wales on the UK Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care and was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal Colleges of Physicians in 2008.
Patient Experience
The Board received the latest Patient Experience update report, which presented key areas of the Board’s activity including proactive and reactive feedback from our patients. The Board welcomed the developing and improving presentation of the report and some of the rich data presented within it. Members were particularly pleased with the development of a catering App to capture patient feedback.
£6.5m upgrade begins at Prince Charles Hospital
Work on a £6.5m upgrade for maternity and neonatal services has begun at Prince Charles Hospital, in line with the outcome and recommendations of the South Wales programme. Work on developing the new services started in June and is set to be completed in March 2018. The improvements include:
- an expansion of the neonatal unit with capacity for nine extra cots for premature or sick babies;
- a redeveloped Alongside Midwifery Unit (AMU) with four birthing rooms, two with pools;
- a redeveloped Obstetric Unit (OU – or labour ward) with six birthing rooms and a designated bereavement suite, currently known as the Snowdrop Suite, which has been designed with the input of families, maternity staff and SANDS.
The investment is also being used to refurbish the existing maternity operating theatre within the OU and to build a second operating theatre facility alongside it. These exciting developments will allow Cwm Taf University Health Board to care for more premature and sick babies as well as provide more of the latest facilities and equipment for our mums-to- be.
Welsh Government approves Cwm Taf’s three year plan
For the fourth year running, the Cabinet Secretary for Health Well-Being and Sport has approved the health board’s Integrated Medium Term Plan for 2017-20. The plan outlines the health board’s priorities for the next years building on a programme of innovation and ensuring more care is delivered locally.
A summary version of the IMTP 2017-20 can be accessed here
NHS Wales National Imaging Academy (NIA)
The health board has been asked to host a new national academy to increase the number of radiology trainees and address some of the current and anticipated workforce shortages in this area.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-Being and Sport has approved the capital allocation for this scheme that will assist the health board to procure a building location and fit out for the Academy to function from and support the recruitment of some key staff to support its work.
Physiotherapy service in A&E reduces waits and admissions
A physiotherapy pilot within A&E has proved successful in reducing the number of referrals needing to be made to the Orthopaedic fracture clinic. The first six months of the trial has shown improved patient care, decreased the time to treat and resulted in a 90% reduction of inappropriate referrals to fracture clinic, with 70% of patients able to be discharged after one clinic.
Stay Well @ Home Service helps more patients return home
The Stay Well @ Home (SW@H) service fully established at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital recently is proving successful, with a similar model also being implemented fully at Prince Charles Hospital.
The service comprises a team from a variety of agencies and professionals including social services, medicines management and occupational therapy to enable patients to be discharged from hospital as soon as possible with the right support.
Health Board performance on waiting times
Unscheduled Care
- Performance against the unscheduled care targets in March 2017 showed a slight decline in comparison to the previous month with 1,963 patients breaching the 4 hour target (1,616 in February). At a Health Board level, the four hour target performance was 82.6% against a target of 95%.
Emergency Ambulance Services
- The March performance for emergency ambulance services against the 15 minute handover target was 85%, which was a slight decrease in performance compared to February when performance was at 85.4%. Performance against the Red Ambulance target was 74.6% for February, against the All Wales average of 74.6%.
Referral to Treatment Times (RTT)
- The Health Board achieved an end of year position of zero patients waiting over 36 weeks, and 90.9% of patients over 26 weeks treated. This excellent achievement reflects the importance the Health Board places on delivering the scheduled care agenda and the huge effort the Directorate teams have made to deliver for our population.
Risk Management and Board Assurance Framework
The Board received and reviewed the Organisational Risk Register and its Board Assurance Framework, the latter outlining both positive assurance and gaps in assurance that puts at risk, the Board’s delivery of its refreshed Integrated Medium Term Plan 2017-2020.
The Board discussed its key risks, one of which included Fire safety, and the actions being taken in response to the South Wales Fire Service Enforcement Notice relating to the Ground and First Floor, Prince Charles Hospital. The Board is also undertaking an assessment of its buildings that have external cladding, in response to a request from Welsh Government, following the Grenfell Tower block Fire in London.
