From hospital to home: innovation shaping care across north east London

This week, our CEO Dr Nnenna Osuji joined Dame Caroline Clarke, NHS England Regional Director for London, on a visit to St Bartholomew’s Hospital (Barts) to marvel at its beautifully restored estate and hear about some of the clinical projects that are improving the experience of residents across north east London.

The visit began with a tour, led by Prof Charles Knight, Barts Hospital CEO and Shane DeGaris, the Trust’s Group CEO, of the magnificent North Wing – home to the historic Great Hall and Hogarth Staircase – which has been conserved, repaired and restored to its original splendour.

Then it was into the classroom where Nnenna and Caroline heard about some of the innovative projects happening across the Trust and in collaboration with our ICB. The chosen projects exemplify our system’s focus on human-centred care and align with the three strands of the 10 Year Health Plan: hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention.

• Christopher Primus, Consultant Cardiologist, talked about the STaRT-HF programme which supports rapid heart failure treatment optimisation. The pharmacist-led, digitally-enabled virtual clinic combines remote monitoring, structured medication adjustment and virtual reviews; resulting in faster treatment, reduced waiting times, reduction in unnecessary tests and in-person appointments, and no unplanned heart failure admissions.
• Lizzie Moore, Cardiology Advanced Clinical Practitioner, discussed the ATLAS Virtual Ward, a technology-enabled system that reduces waiting times, frees up hospital beds, and helps our residents stay active and well in the comfort of their home following a heart attack, rather than spending days in hospital awaiting care.
• As the number of cancer cases increases and more treatments become available, patients are living longer and in better health. Kenrick Ng, Consultant Medical Oncologist, talked about the need to adapt to this shifting landscape and showcased quality improvement projects that use simple measures to make efficiency and capacity gains in the delivery of chemotherapy, and improve patient experience and safety.
• Dr Sotiris Antoniou, Clinical Services Divisional Director, updated on the cholesterol testing service that was launched in community pharmacies with the aim of bridging health gaps in cardiovascular disease. By introducing point of care tests, the project has improved access to screening and increased identification of people at risk, leading to earlier intervention and treatment, alongside tackling health inequalities.

The visit continued to the Smithfield Wing of Barts’ new breast cancer centre, which brings surgery, oncology, research and clinical trials together in a dedicated home. Laura Johnson, Consultant Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgeon, showed the imaging facilities, recovery area and a state-of-the art hybrid theatre. The purpose-built, modern facilities have been designed around patients’ needs and that was evident in the calm and airy overnight rooms where the day ended.

Thank you to Prof Charles, Shane DeGaris, Andrew Wragg, David Curran, Ann Hepworth and all the Barts Health staff for an inspiring and insightful visit.

#PartnershipWorking #QualityImprovement #Prevention