Annual Report and Accounts 2012/13 - Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital

1. Our Year
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Annual Report and Accounts 2012/13
9
One of the highlights of the past year for me was
the launch of our Extraordinary People Awards. It
feels really important to share and celebrate the
dedication, innovation and achievement of our
staff. We will make awards three times a year,
with an annual ‘winner of winners’ ceremony.
One of the categories, the ‘Excellent Care Award’, is open to patients
and carers to nominate individual staff or volunteers who have made a
difference to them. I have been moved by some of their comments:
“Jane demonstrated that no amount of procedural format can take the
place of genuine nursing care… Jane took the initiative and showed a
personal commitment and personal concern for me. Wonderful!”
Mr M, Crediton
“Alison’s ability to listen, to care and to show that I was important as a
patient was amazing!” Mrs T, Exeter
“This hard-working, overworked NHS doctor listened, reassured and
mended me. He has lifted a curtain of depression and pain...” Mr B, Crediton
For me, the highlights of our year
included:
• The unprecedented levels of
emergency admissions during the
winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12
meant that services were severely
stretched, with planned operations
cancelled and staff overextended.
We made a decision that we could
not tolerate a third winter of
extreme demands and therefore
put in place a whole host of
measures to enable us to manage
the extra demand on services. Our
response required all parts of the
Trust, working together, to develop
a plan that would ensure safe
and effective delivery of care of
emergency and waiting list patients.
I am particularly proud of all our
staff who worked so hard to deliver
two complete new wards in time
for winter 2012/13. Board approval
for the £4.5 million project was
granted in June, and Ashburn and
Yealm wards opened in December
2012, creating an additional 48
medical beds for older people. To
staff the new beds, we recruited an
additional consultant in Healthcare
for Older People, and 120 nurses
and allied health professionals.
This investment was supported by
other changes, including a new
ambulatory care lounge, a dedicated
paediatric assessment unit, more
7-day working and more escalation
beds. We also had investment and
support from our partners in other
parts of the healthcare system to
make our emergency services as
resilient as possible. The investment
has paid off; even with a particularly
long and harsh winter, we did not
experience the problems of the
previous two years
• Research is a key element of
securing sustained quality
improvement and it was a great
delight when President of the Royal
College of Surgeons, Professor
Norman Williams, officially opened
the Exeter Surgical Health Services
Research Unit (HeSRU). This
specialist resource brings together
a wealth of clinical knowledge and
research to improve the care and
experience of surgical patients. It
has a video link from a seminar
room to operating theatres for
teaching and a clinical consultation
room. The facility supports work
for the National Institute for
Health Research and strengthens
established links with our academic
and research partners