Visit to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, part of the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Our chief executive Daniel Elkeles visited the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, part of the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.

Daniel said: “The city centre site continues to undergo a huge redevelopment with a £500m wing recently opening and ground being cleared to build a new cancer centre. The new wing has been designed so that every patient can see the sea from their bed – quite a design, as the photo looking out over a stormy English Channel shows.

 “The campus has some remarkable architecture, with the 1930s eye hospital shaped like a pair of spectacles, the children's hospital shaped like Noah's Ark, and a grade one listed chapel painstakingly moved and built into one of the new buildings.

“The determination of the leadership team to improve emergency care pathways shone through, both by working in partnership with their neighbours and by seeking out good practice from other parts of the NHS and implementing it. It was very refreshing to see the 'borrow with pride' adage so keenly adopted. Three examples from the HALO (Hospital Alternative Oversight) programme, led by Mae Sullivan, really struck me.

• The first is the 'red bag' initiative – which I helped to set up in Sutton – where all residents from care homes brought to the ED come with a red bag containing their clothes, dentures, hearing aids, current drugs and a care plan. When they're discharged, they leave with the same red bag refilled with any new drugs and an updated care plan. This has led to patients spending 40% less time in ED and a 46% reduction in overnight stays, as nursing homes are more willing to accept patients back out of normal hours because they know the discharge will be appropriate and well planned. The consultant lead is Dr Rafi Rogans-Watson, who was also part of the Sutton vanguard.
• The second was their Unscheduled Care Navigation Hub team, led by Dr Steve Barden, who has set up an equivalent to the Barts Reach model. A team of clinicians, co-located with SECAmb, work with paramedics, referring GPs and community teams to discuss patients before they're brought to hospital, identifying alternatives to the emergency department. The scheme is remarkably effective, with the clinician of the day supporting around 30 interventions daily, diverting half away from ED. The work with their local ambulance trust SECAmb has been so successful that it has led to a net drop in ambulance conveyances of 10 per day.

The trust is well on the way to boosting its virtual ward capacity, which is now pathway-based rather than speciality-based and has seen a 27% increase in referrals so far this year. I suggested a trip to West Hertfordshire to learn more and bring ideas back to Brighton!

Thank you so much, Andy and team, for a great visit.