It was great to visit University Hospital Southampton (UHS) and discuss some of the challenges it faces. These challenges included its response to the junior doctors’ strike and the challenging financial outlook. Despite the trust's strong performance on elective activity they face a real challenge in terms of achieving financial balance and incentivising ongoing elective recovery.
Despite this, the team is positive about its transformation programme 'Always Improving', already delivering impressive results, including 1200 fewer on the day cancellations, a reduction in average length of stay of over a day and a patient-focused, participative improvement culture.
A focus on three service priorities (theatres, outpatients and patient flow) guides the trust's improvement work in 2024. There was a real sense of energy and drive behind the 'Always Improving Strategy', part of the 'UHS Way' – the shared culture of the trust. The NHS IMPACT self-assessment helped the trust refine its improvement work and there's a gathering momentum on this improvement work to address major operational and financial challenges.
I visited UHS' newest renal and general medicine ward E12, where I was walked through the way the team helped design and determine workflow was impressed by the space and the privacy and dignity afforded to patients and the general sense of calm and organisation, despite the pressures of early January.
Visiting neuro-critical care and neuro ward E in the Wessex Neuro Centre offered a contrast in terms of environment, given these services are situated in the oldest part of the hospital and the constraints of 1960s design and fabric are clear. Despite this, the teams showed dedication, commitment and resilience in a complex unit, which serves neuro patients requiring critical care across a huge region (including other tertiary centres in London and Bristol). The ward is currently working onfalls mapping , a positive visual tool to help anticipate and prevent falls in a high-risk area.
Finally, the visit to the new Wellbeing Hub – a purpose-built resource funded from proceeds of the sale of the Banksy pandemic painting - was a real highlight. This beautifully designed stand-alone building is solely dedicated to staff health and wellbeing. It allows staff to enjoy time and space away from the frontline in the main hospital, and includes gym facilities, refreshments, quiet spaces and meeting rooms for staff networks to come together. The beautiful staff-created mural 'The UHS Way' lends the space a real sense of staff pride and ownership.
Leaving Southampton, I reflected on the way the team is making improvement and staff wellbeing the cornerstones of its work in tackling operational pressures. I was impressed and enthused by the work of the excellent team and inspired by the positive attitude of the clinical staff I met working in some of the busiest areas of the hospital.
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