Visit to County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Last week our chief executive, Daniel Elkeles, had a highly rewarding visit to the University Hospital of North Durham, part of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

This integrated acute and community provider serves a catchment of 650,000 people across a large geography – with County Durham being the 5th largest unitary authority in England - and has significant health inequalities. 

Daniel reflected: 

"They are facing many challenges head on. It was impressive to see their approach to managing three separate PFI contracts across their hospitals. They are negotiating hard with the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) to ensure sufficient investment in building infrastructure and fabric, so that when the buildings are returned to the trust in the coming years, they are in the best condition. 

"Recently, they identified that the cost of providing soft facilities management (such as cleaning and portering) at one site was exceptionally high. They required the SPV to go out to tender for the service, submitted their own bid - and won. By bringing the service back in-house via their subsidiary, they’ve been able to make improvements such as reorganising car parking to improve access for staff and patients.

"Partnerships in their patch are also very strong. They are working with Durham University on a joint research strategy around plant, animal, and planet health, based on the unique demographics of the North East. They also have a joint Director of Integrated Care funded with County Durham Council, whose services and partnerships report directly to the Health and Wellbeing Board. 

"The trust is rightly proud of the operational improvements it has made recently, including: 

🔵 Responding to CQC feedback in maternity.
🔵 Improving ambulance handover times.
🔵 Reducing length of stay for older patients. 

"Thank you so much to Richard, Sue and the team for such a rich visit and for showing me so many parts of your organisation."