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downsmail.co.uk High scores for hospital care
THE hospitals in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells have been given a clean bill of health after exceeding national average scores in all but one category.
Patient-led assessments of the care environment (Place) inspections take place annually at every hospital in the country. Staff and local patient represen-
tatives assess how the care envi- ronment in a hospital (or other type of treatment centre) supports pa- tients. The results are reported pub- licly to show how hospitals are performing nationally and locally to drive improvements. Local results for 2015were: Cleanliness: • Maidstone – 99.2% • TunbridgeWells – 98.78% • Tonbridge Cottage Hospital – 100%
National average – 97.57% Food: • Maidstone – 91.66% • TunbridgeWells – 91.45%
Records just a
click away HEALTH records of about 500 pa- tients in Maidstone and West Kent are now online and available se- curely to help NHS professionals, with the authority of patients. The care plan management system
is to be expanded by care practition- ers (including GPs). Early emphasis has been on patients most likely to benefit from this touch-of-a-button information system. Early evidence shows that ambu-
lance service staff have already iden- tified the value of the system. It is also expected to be of great value as more services are transferred in to the community and as GP surgeries form themselves in to federations.
Winning hearts
AFTER the annual assessment of West Kent CCG, NHS England has commented on an acknowledge- ment that further work is needed “to win hearts and minds of local GP members to deliver the primary and community care aspirations”. The NHS says: “A more focused clinical leadership line with member practices and newly-formed federa- tions should take forward your aspi- rations for community provision systems.”
Health message
WESTKent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is supporting the pub- lic health message that “if people look after themselves they are also looking after the NHS”. The local health and wellbeing
board is taking this forward with public health campaigns on obesity and smoking cessation.
30 Maidstone East October 2015 Matthew Roberts (far left) at the launch of a report into the care of youngsters Caring role for care-leaver
MATTHEW Roberts, from Maid- stone, has been to Westminster to discuss the support youngsters re- ceive in care. The 21-year-old spent his early
life in the care of the county coun- cil. He was one of two care leavers from Kent invited by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, to join parliamentarians and decision-makers at the launch of a national report discussing sup- port for children in care. Matthew is an apprentice with
KCC’s Virtual School Kent, which helps develop and improve services for children in care and for young care leavers, promoting their edu- cational achievement.
He said: “The concerns surround-
ing the availability of extended sup- port for care-leavers really deserve the attention given to them in the state-of-the-nation report. Hope- fully, by becoming part of the Chil- dren’s Commissioner’s network as part of my role with Virtual School Kent I’ll be able to do what I can to make sure children in care and care- leavers continue to receive the sup- port they need.” Peter Oakford, the county council cabinet member for specialist chil- dren’s services said: “Matthew is a credit to the council and we look forward to his continued work in improving outcomes for care leavers both in Kent and beyond. ”
• Tonbridge Cottage Hospital – 89.31% National average – 88.49% Privacy, dignity andwellbeing: • Maidstone – 86.96% • TunbridgeWells – 94.13% • *Tonbridge Cottage Hospital – 86.43% National average – 86.03% Condition, appearance and maintenance: • Maidstone – 89.35% • TunbridgeWells – 94.42% • *Tonbridge Cottage Hospital – 97.73% National average – 90.11% Dementia friendliness: • Maidstone – 84.48% •TunbridgeWells – 92.44% • *Tonbridge Cottage Hospital – 91.98% National average – 74.51%
Although the condition, appear-
ance and maintenance at Maid- stone Hospital scored slightly below the national average (by 0.76%), it has the cleanest hospital wards of any of Kent’s acute hospi- tals, scoring 99.2%. The second phase of a multi-million pound ward modernisation programme is also underway. The national Place report identi-
fied lower scores in hospital envi- ronments for dementia patients as an area for improvement nation- ally. All three hospitals scoredwell in
this area. They also had the best scores for privacy and dignity and ward food compared with Kent and Medway’s acute hospitals. Jeanette Rooke, director of estates and facilities, added: “This year,we
have exceeded results in every cat- egory except one and the refur- bishment programme currently on-going at Maidstone will im- prove lots of areas and ward envi- ronments for our patients and visitors.” Recent improvements to the pa-
tient environment include new wayfinding and external signs; chilled water dispensers on wards; refurbished main entrance with im- proved retail and café facilities (Maidstone); replaced patient chairs and tables; refurbished ad- missions lounge; and new dis- charge lounge (Maidstone). *Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells
NHS Trust has a ward at Tonbridge Cottage Hospital for stroke patients, and this was assessed as part of the Place report.
Friends’ gift boost to cancer centre
MAIDSTONE Hospital’s League of Friends has donated equipment worth £10,000 for cancer patients. The league presented staff at Kent Oncology Centre with the nasendo- cope and light source to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of pa- tients with head and neck cancer. The department’s head of outpa-
tients, Jayne Goddard said: “It will be of huge benefit to the department.”
The
equipment is handed over to staff at the Kent Oncology Centre
Targets missed
FOUR key targets were missed in Maidstone and West Kent in July, with the following below standard: Cancer: two-weekwaiting times performances; A&E: new four-hourwaiting time performance; Ambulances: SECAmb per- formance below standard on all measures. CategoryA Red 1 am- bulance calls (eight-minute target) were 75% below target; Hospital beds: new “delayed transfer of care” performance.
111 call efficiency
AFTER a marked dip in perform- ance of the 111 telephone service during the winter there has since been a slow recovery, West Kent CCG has been informed. The new target is that 90% of
callers needing clinical advice will either speak to a clinician during the initial call or be called back within 10 minutes.
Help for homes
WEST Kent CCG is distributing a care pathways guidance booklet to care homes in the area.
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