Our Strategy 2024-2030

We will efficiently and effectively use all available resources through collaboration with partners and stakeholders to deliver high-quality service.

Why

To ensure the best outcomes for our patients.

How

We will measure and manage our performance through quality, national, and local access metrics, incorporating inpatients, outpatients, diagnostics, theatres, cancer, and Urgent and Emergency Care standards.

Measuring success

It will be evidenced through:

Using our resources well: Achieving targeted benchmarks in theatre utilisation, day surgery rates, and virtual ward capacity will demonstrate effective use of resources and reduce patient waiting times
Timely and quality patient care: Meeting or exceeding national standards for cancer care, stroke care, and timely diagnostic testing will reflect our commitment to delivering high-quality care and improving patient experiences
Strategic collaborations and innovations: strengthening partnerships across the healthcare system and adopting best practices to improve performance
Improved patient flow and access: We will focus on patient discharge processes, outpatient area utilisation, and urgent care efficiency
Delivery of key performance metrics: We will deliver and monitor quality, access, and efficiency metrics across inpatient, outpatient, diagnostics, and emergency care

Reducing ambulance handover delays

Case study

The Trust significantly reduced ambulance handover delays from 39.6% in October 2023 to 11.7% in March 2024.

Despite increased demand, 88% of patients were offloaded within an hour in the last three months, up from 60% in October 2023.

Key measures included revised escalation plans, regular leadership meetings, improved communication with system partners, and enhanced alternative pathways like Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC).

Focus on patient wellbeing involved diverting local patients to other hospitals and sharing patient stories to highlight the harm caused by ambulance queues. These initiatives improved patient flow, reduced handover delays, and enhanced overall patient care.

Actions taken

The Trust has maintained strong ambulance handover performance throughout 2024/2025, introducing a new local standard to offload patients within 45 minutes, achieving an average compliance rate of 85% across the year, peaking at 91% in July.

In September, the Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit was opened, providing an alternative pathway for direct ambulance admissions and helping to avoid unnecessary attendances to the Emergency Department (ED).

There has also been a continued focus on prompt patient triage, ensuring patients arriving by ambulance are assessed quickly and managed safely and appropriately.