Quality Account 2010/11 - James Paget University Hospitals

their concerns so that the matters can be investigated and actions put in place to make
certain they do not recur.
The Governors have been particularly keen that the patient should come first in all matters
and this has been taken on board by the organisation. Much time and effort has been put
into improving the patient’s experience and care and it is good to see that again national
surveys have shown that in the majority of measures the Trust remains in the top 20% of
trusts. Where this is not the case action plans have been developed to improve the
performance.
Each year the number of emergency admissions increases and this has been particularly
severe this year. As a result, nearly 600 elective operations were postponed. This is very
distressing for patients and their carers and puts added strain on all grades of staff. In
addition, extra time and money has to be spent to find alternative times to perform these
operations. Enabling the admission of patients for elective operations without cancelling
emergency admissions is one of the biggest challenges facing the Trust.
In spite of these pressures the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio remains low indicating
an overall very good standard of care.
In these particularly challenging times the Trust is to be congratulated that it has managed to
maintain its high standards – and in some instances to improve upon them. The Governors
welcome the frequent and open exchanges which they have with management and are
pleased to play their part in helping to maintain and improve standards.
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Quality Account 2010/11 Page 61 of 62