Agenda item

The Trust’s Deputy Director of Patient Safety, Associate Medical Director and Chief Nurse will be in attendance to provide the panel with their performance update.

The Chair welcomed the Deputy Director of Patient Safety, Associate Medical Director and Chief Nurse from South Tees NHS Trust to the meeting. The Trust thanked Members their invitation and informed the meeting it had been a difficult year for the Trust.

 

The Trust had provided more than 4,000 patients with Covid-19. Given current Inpatient levels and increasing infection rates, this was likely to expand. Most of those patients had been treated for the Omicron variant.

 

As Middlesbrough had the highest infection rate in the Country it was hoped this would help focus people’s minds. It was recognised the community in South Tees had been appreciative of health care staff during the pandemic who had performed very well in difficult circumstances.

 

It was commented that staff in Critical Care continued to treat young people who had not been vaccinated.

 

The Trust’s response to the Covid-19 Pandemic continued to be clinically led with the rapid establishment of a Command and Control centre which assisted service delivery both from a strategic and tactical perspective.   

 

Operationally, Members were advised hospital sites had been separated into red and green pathways, with the latter created for those in receipt of routine and urgent care without risk of contracting Covid-19.

 

The Trust continued to have daily tactical and strategic meetings to ensure patients continued to receive the care they needed, such as cancer treatments and urgent surgery.

 

The overarching aim for the Trust was to keep both patients and staff safe.

 

Members were made aware patient feedback was very positive. Examples included the CQC’s 2020 Children and Young People’s Survey which showed results had either been maintained or improved upon from the previous year. The results placed the Trust among the nation’s top performers. 

 

Positive results were also seen in the Adult Inpatient Survey which placed the Trust consistently above the national average for inpatient medical care. This was the same for medical care which, despite the impact of Covid-19, remained above the national average. This was a testament to the wider improvement journey the Trust was on.

 

The Panel heard clinical teams had continued to perform to the highest standards especially those within the cardiothoracic and neurosurgery centres which were among the highest performing in the country.

 

Over 46,000 patients requiring an overnight stay were cared for by the clinical teams, as well as over 79,000 patients who were able to return home the same day after receiving their clinical treatment.

 

Emergency and Urgent Care staff had been able to treat over 665,000 outpatients as well as attending to 150,000 urgent and emergency attendances despite the challenging circumstances.

 

Importantly, Community based staff had delivered more than 1.25 million patient contacts.

 

Despite the challenges, more than 4,400 babies had been delivered safely which was a testament to the vaccination programme and the efforts of health care staff. 

 

In terms of the Omicron variant; the Trust was keen to emphasise the vaccine was safe and effective. 95% of staff had had at least two doses of the vaccine.

 

While Covid-19 continued to pre-occupy the health care system, winter pressures were acute. While the Trust was managing well, a toll was being taken on staff and resources. It was emphasised the community could protect themselves and access health services at points other than emergency care, which would help alleviate pressures. Unlike other Trusts, South Tees had not declared a Major Incident which was a testament to the hard work of staff.

 

The Chair, on behalf of the Panel, thanked all staff across the Trust for their continued dedication and hard work.

 

A Member sought clarification regarding the numbers of Covid-19 inpatients. It was clarified there were 142 patients across the Trust with seven patients being treated in Critical Care. It was also clarified there was no age breakdown available but from clinicians’ experience most of those Covid-19 inpatients were unvaccinated. It was also clarified that while Covid-19 numbers were relatively low this still added pressure to an already stressed system.

 

The Chair reminded the meeting that caution should continue to be exercised.

 

A Member queried, due to the lack of opening windows in James Cook hospital, if this posed a problem for effective ventilation and therefore increased risk to staff and patients. It was clarified while areas of the hospital did not have good ventilation the use of isolation areas and effective PPE equipment helped to contain the spread of the virus. It was noted the Trust’s Estates Services had played a vital part in a non-clinical role of combatting Covid-19.

 

A Member queried how rules from the 1st April regarding unvaccinated staff and their entitlement to work, would impact on the Trust. It was clarified 5% of staff in the Trust had received their vaccine. Consequently, the number of staff yet to receive the vaccine was small in real terms. It was also clarified that some staff had been unable to receive the vaccine at the point of rollout but work was underway to ensure those staff received it.

 

A Member queried if there were any further initiatives to improve vaccination take-up. The Member also commented that recent pop-up initiatives of taking vaccination centres into the community had proven to be very successful. 

 

A Member commented that vaccine take-up was low in her ward and that pop-up initiatives would have benefit there. It was also commented that awareness of the vaccine needed to be stepped up and that consideration needed to be given to none social media users.  

 

The CCG commented they were heavily involved in the vaccination programme and helped to inform where pop-ups should be placed. While there had been positive levels of vaccine take-up prior to Christmas, this had reduced significantly despite there being adequate vaccines and vaccinators. It was also commented that local pharmacies also distributed the vaccine and there was a need to consider over reliance on digital channels. It was noted that any suggestions from Members would be welcomed as this remained a challenge.

 

A Member commented that a significant obstacle was entrenched religious views.

 

The Chair thanked South Tees Trust for their attendance and expressed the Panel’s thanks for their continued efforts.

 

ORDERED: That the information presented be noted.