Following the Department of Health’s announcement yesterday (25th March) that North Cumbria Integrated Care (NCIC) is to be one of five NHS trusts placed into a new recovery programme; NCIC is already putting major investments in place to strengthen urgent and emergency care services.
During the Board of Directors meeting yesterday, a £4 million investment package was agreed to transform the way urgent and emergency care is provided for patients in north Cumbria.
Trudie Davies, Interim Chief Executive, said: “We are pleased that some of the deep rooted challenges we have experienced historically in north Cumbria have been recognised nationally and we welcome the support that has been announced. We have started to see some real improvement in recent months and I am very pleased that the Board has approved a further £4m investment into urgent and emergency care. It is clear that we would benefit from additional support and we look forward to understanding what we will receive to accelerate the pace of change. We know that NHS England has confidence in this leadership team and this new intensive support is a once in a lifetime opportunity to embrace that change to deliver the best possible healthcare for the people of north Cumbria.”
The £4m investment is to alleviate the pressure being experience across urgent and emergency care services, including overcrowding in the Emergency Department; delays in getting patients to the right place for their care and an increasing demand associated with an ageing population.
The programme aims to improve the range of services available which will mean any unnecessary admissions to hospitals can be avoided. This includes:
- More staffing for the new Urgent Treatment Centre in Carlisle which will allow for the centre to be fully opened to see patients with minor injuries
· An increase in doctors working in acute medicine so more decisions can be made about patients at evenings and weekends in both Carlisle and Whitehaven
· An expanded Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) facility at the Cumberland Infirmary so that patients can be treated on the day without a hospital admission
· Making the new SDEC for frail, elderly patients at West Cumberland Hospital permanent and opening one at the Cumberland Infirmary. This supports patients to access the care they need without going through A&E and can include being referred onto the frailty virtual ward
· Creation of a medical workforce recruitment team to help us to recruit to more vacancies and be less reliant on high-cost temporary agency and locum staff
Dr Claire Gray, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Collaborative Chair for Urgent & Emergency care services at NCIC, said: “We know that our current Emergency Department in Carlisle is too small for the volume of patients we see which leads to delays and overcrowding. Our new Urgent Treatment Centre, a bigger Same Day Emergency Care department and an expanded acute medical workforce equipped to make key decisions, will be transformative.
“I am proud of how our Emergency Department team shows such resilience and dedication on a daily basis and I am pleased this investment will ease some pressure and allow our team to focus on what they do best – providing high quality, life-saving care to our patients.”
Trudie said: “We are putting in place the resources we need to improve access to urgent and emergency care so that we can see more patients, in a timely way, in the right clinical setting.
“I want to pay tribute to our dedicated, hardworking staff who show commitment on a daily basis despite the challenges they face. This new package will mean that they are supported to deliver the very best care to our patients.
“I am committed to grasping the opportunities we are being presented with for our patients and for our colleagues so we can work together to make the improvements we all want for north Cumbria.”