NHS South Gloucestershire has achieved an overall “good” result in the annual health check. This reflects the organisation’s achievements to improve health, reduce health inequalities, bring healthcare closer to communities and improve patients’ experiences of the care they receive.
The Primary Care Trust (PCT) received an assessment of “good” for Quality of Commissioning and “fair” for Quality of Financial Management.
The Care Quality Commission’s annual health check provides a comprehensive assessment of performance of the NHS. Every one of the country’s 391 NHS organisations is involved.
“We are particularly pleased that improvements in the care we “commission” or buy on behalf of those who live in South Gloucestershire are recognized in this score. In 2008/08 we achieved targets that result in real improvements for local people. These included reducing waits for treatment to a maximum of 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment, helping people give up smoking, reducing levels of c difficile infections in hospitals, improving access to primary care services and improving access to GUM clinics.”
During 2008/09 NHS South Gloucestershire spent £314 million on providing healthcare for the people of South Gloucestershire. We managed within our resources while achieving improvements in health services and achieved a small surplus
The basis of the score for Quality of Financial Management changed from last year to incorporate new areas. One of these was related very specifically to workforce planning where we scored less well than we had hoped.
“As a small PCT workforce planning was not an area we were able to focus on last year but we have an action plan to address this and will be working hard to improve this score in this financial year,” said Finance Director, Robert Knibbs.
For Providing Services, the Care Quality Commission looked at how well healthcare organisations perform in a number of different areas of interest to patients and the public. These areas included safety and cleanliness, waiting to be seen, standards of care, dignity and respect, good management and keeping the public healthy.
NHS South Gloucestershire’s Provider Services achieved 43 out of 44 measures used by the Care Quality Commission and the only outstanding mark was due to requirements for same sex accommodation. Henderson Ward at Thornbury Hospital has since benefitted from £131,000 worth of extensive improvements to ensure that same sex bathroom facilities are provided for patients and this now meets the national standard.
“These results are a good reflection of our work in 2008/09 and some of the challenges that lie ahead. We will be continuing our work to improve health, reduce health inequalities, bring healthcare closer to communities and improve patients’ experiences of the care they receive,” said Chief Executive, Penny Harris.
Source: NHS South Gloucestershire
