Staff at the Western Health Trust have been commended for an “exceptional” improvement in delivery of its core services.
Elaine Way.
Mid-year performance figures from April to September this year show 99.8% of cancer patients started treatment within 31 days of the decision to treat and 100% of learning disability discharges took place within seven days.
Other key achievements include:
:: 99% of all urgent breast cancer referrals were seen within 14 days.
:: At end of September 2013, 80% of patients waited less than nine weeks for their first outpatient appointment against a target of 70%.
:: 91% of complex discharges from an acute hospital took place within 48 hours
:: 99% of people with continuing care needs received their main components of care within eight weeks.
:: At end of September 2013, no patient waited longer than nine weeks to access child and adolescent mental health services.
The Western Trust has commended its staff after the mid-year performance report was presented at its recent board meeting.
Elaine Way, Western Trust chief executive commended the efforts of staff.
She said: “This performance report reflects an excellent position regarding the delivery of core activity across all specialities and indeed a significant improvement compared to the Trust’s position at the same time last year.
“I wish to personally acknowledge the individual contribution of all staff across the Trust in achieving this.
“I appreciate the challenges staff face on a daily basis and more so this past year as a direct result of a number of major incidents and events that the Trust has been involved in.”
Mrs Way concluded: “So to have achieved the current level of performance and standard of care for our patients is exceptional and I thank each and every one of the Trust’s staff for their hard work and commitment.”
Teresa Molloy, who has recently commenced in her new post as Director of Performance and Service and Improvement for the Western Trust, added: “As a local Health and Social Care Trust, it is essential for us to constantly monitor our performance as it is a vital indicator of how well we respond to patient need and how we can ensure standards of care are not only maintained but continuously improved upon.”
In her report to the Trust Board, Teresa highlighted the key challenges which are faced by the Trust in order to improve its performance in 2013/2014 and addressed areas where the Trust had been experiencing increased demand.
She highlighted the Emergency Department at Altnagelvin Hospital, the Trust’s Occupational Therapy Services and Children Services as areas receiving attention for these reasons.
She added: “The improvements reported here are due to a big effort by all. Our focus on quality has brought benefits to patients with performance indicators demonstrating that the Trust is maintaining and improving its performance in a range of areas.
“The sum of these efforts during the first half of this year have helped the Trust sustain excellent performance against regionally set targets resulting in swifter, safer treatment for patients. It is our hope that by the end of 2013/14 we will have achieved even more and further improve patient experience and the quality of care provided to our patients.”
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