FUTUR E HOS P I TAL
as well. The RCP suggests that hot and cold hospital care may be separated onto different sites, ensuring that elective care can continue uninterrupted by trauma care and the need for beds. It will be a very fine balancing act to get the bed capacity of the NHS right with new hospitals and the vision for the future being about keeping patients at home. The NHS has gross undercapacity at present which is much of the reason that the four-hour waiting time in A&E has not been met for ten years. Occupancy levels are 88%-99% most of the time, which has knock-on effects on staffing, as well as staff and patient experience.
The NHS Long Term Plan The Long Term Plan for the NHS sets out how many of the above aspects of care may be achieved. It details new service models, action on prevention, progress on care outcomes, the NHS workforce, digitally enabled care and improving value for money. With this ambition comes a need to ensure that the current backlog of maintenance is tackled and funded, so that the quality of care and patient experience, already squeezed, is not further spoiled. The plan for the refurbishment of many hospitals, over the next few years, will need to take many complex factors into account, not least some future proofing of the NHS estate.
Staff well being It has been said frequently, in the recent past, that many NHS staff are considering leaving their jobs due to the burnout and exhaustion they are suffering following the excesses of COVID-19. There is a great deal more support available now in the NHS to support staff health and well being and
many individuals will need time, space and support to consider staying in their roles. It could not be more important that those staff who need care are nurtured and cared for by their employers. The national planning guidance sets out to embed more preventative health and wellbeing approaches, tackle inequalities and boost efforts to retain and attract more people. Wellbeing Guardians will ensure that the recovery plans are led by the Trust Board and that they are supported in their role. They will also be responsible for equipping managers and teams with the skills and tools required to take ownership of health and well being and that supportive, compassionate, health and wellbeing conversations take place regularly.5
In addition, staff health and
wellbeing hubs have been set up to provide health and social care staff rapid access to assessment and local mental health services and support where needed. You can self refer or refer a colleague with their consent. Counselling and talking therapies are usually those treatments that are available. However, it is not all about the fallout from COVID-19; stress is also caused by shortages of staff and many more are needed, of all cadres. They are needed not only for the new hospitals but also to plug the gaps in an already high vacancy rate. The Health and Social Care Committee in UK parliament recently looked at the causes of burnout and resilience in NHS staff6 and have made recommendations for the support required. There is also, unusually, a NHS People Promise7
which, among other
statements, promises that “Wellbeing is our business and our priority – and if we are unwell, we are supported to get the help we need.”
Ultimately, in order for people to be happy working in the NHS, attention must be paid to their environment and mental wellbeing. It seems that this is on the agenda now. For many years it has been a long way off. Positive thinking will ensure that not only will we be working in better buildings, whether refurbished or new, but we will also be cared for by our managers and chief executives, who now recognise the mantra that ‘Our people are the best thing we have in NHS’. This all seems to be a golden promise. We will wait to see how much of it is realised and built not only for the best quality of care for patients, but also for the good of the workforce.
References 1 Press release, Eight new hospitals to be built in England, July 2021,
GOV.UK (
www.gov.uk)
2 Healthcare Infrastructure Plan, September 2019, Accessed at Health Infrastructure Plan (publishing.
service.gov.uk)
3 Kings Fund Blog, Does the NHS really have a new strategic health infrastructure plan? (2019) Accessed at ‘Does the NHS really have a new strategic health infrastructure plan?’, The King’s Fund (
kingsfund.org.uk)
4 Royal College of Physicians, How to plan new hospitals to improve patient pathways and staff well being (2021). Accessed at ‘How to plan new hospitals to improve patient pathways and staff wellbeing’, RCP London
5 Staff Health and Wellbeing. Undated Accessed at NHS England, Supporting staff health and wellbeing
6 Health and Social Care Committee, Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social Care Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care, May 2021, (
parliament.uk)
7 Our NHS People Promise NHS England, Our NHS People Promise
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