The Trust-wide Darwin transformation programme continued to evolve in 2019/20 with a new set of priorities focused on innovating clinical services to make them fit for the future.
Particular gains have been made in limiting unnecessary stays in hospital. More patients than ever before are now admitted into hospital on the day of their operation and discharged without needing to stay in a bed overnight. We also use our theatre and catheterisation laboratory capacity more efficiently, so more patients can be treated.
At Royal Brompton, we identified a problem with late confirmation of admissions. In response, we developed new processes to provide at least 24-48 hours’ notice to patients of their admission allowing them enough time to plan their stay and arrival time with us. By March, we were seeing patients coming into and then leaving hospital earlier in the day.
We have also been investing time and effort planning for the future.
Technology offers immense potential to radically change the nature of care delivery, and patients expect us to exploit these opportunities. We have therefore been developing our vision for non-admitted specialist care (care that does not involve an overnight stay), both as a Trust but also as part of our partnership with Kings Health Partners (KHP). Through this work we have outlined a strategy to improve:
- Outcomes, access to care, convenience and experience of services.
- The ability of staff to make informed decisions, and create job satisfaction, and promote their productivity and collaboration with peers.
- The Trust’s sustainability, research potential and partnerships with other KHP providers. To do this, we will work on all aspects of non-admitted care, from those patients first experiencing our services, to those who have been under our care for decades. Progress includes:
- Piloting and planning the wider rollout of video consultations.
- Identifying paper processes (such as patient questionnaires) that we can digitise.
- Exploring the use of home devices (such as spirometers) and wearable technologies to better monitor patients and reduce the number of hospital visits they have to make for tests.
- Improving our communication to patients through digital appointment letters and text reminders. With a clear, ambitious and exciting vision of where we want to get to, we are confident we can quickly realise further meaningful improvements.
With a clear, ambitious and exciting vision of where we want to get to, we are confident we can quickly realise further meaningful improvements.
"Particular gains have been made in limiting unnecessary stays in hospital. More patients than ever before are now admitted into hospital on the day of their operation and discharged without needing to stay in a bed overnight."