Latest investigations
Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust
One of the biggest challenges it has to grapple with is recruiting and retaining staff. A Leeds Health and Care Academy is being developed to produce a local workforce strategy. The trust will work with Bradford District Care Trust to work on medical recruitment. A priority is to launch and successfully implement its redesigned community mental health services for Leeds, which have been overhauled after a three-year project. It needs to reduce its out of area placements and there are schemes the local clinical commissioning group has agreed to fund to do this. There are multiple ongoing projects that the trust needs to bring to fruition while working with local partners.
Luton and Dunstable Hospital FT
Luton has ambitious capital investment plans which are intrinsically linked with its long-delayed acquisition of Bedford Hospital Trust. The acquisition is now in doubt due to delays in national funding. It will need support to develop new ways to fund its rebuild plans. As a global digital exemplar, it needs to speed up IT investment and deployment to meet national requirements. It may need help to meet its 2019-20 control total as it cannot continue past reliance on non-recurrent spending and planned acquisition of neighbouring trust. L&D will need support to change its culture to one that embraces collaboration across the Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes integrated care system.
Black Country Partnership FT
The trust plans to merge with Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Trust by 2020-21. As part of the merger, the trust will be recruiting a joint chair and likely a joint chief executive in 2019-20. It may seek external support to appoint to key joint board roles. There are several new care models and integrated care systems under development within the Black Country. One of the biggest changes will be the creation of the Dudley integrated care provider. The trust is involved in a bid to take on specialised commissioning budgets for learning disability services. The trust will look to upgrade its CQC “requires improvement” rating. Trust will be looking to procure a partner in 2019-20 to build its new inpatient unit for patients with learning disabilities.
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust
The trust’s financial performance is deteriorating driven by failure to achieve key performance targets and higher patient demand. It must improve flow through the hospital to recover performance and achieve Provider Sustainability Funding. It faces continued shortages of key workforce roles such as nurses and consultants and agency spending for both nurses and locum doctors is high. It will need to continue recruitment and retention efforts. It is part of a number of new care model programmes and the trust management know they need to collaborate regionally to tackle some of the bigger issues they face.
Expert briefings
North by North West: Blackpool rocking
Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England, with a particular focus on the devolution project in Greater Manchester.
The Ward Round: A new era for HEE?
The fortnightly The Ward Round will make sure you are tuned in to the daily pressures on staff, and the wider trends and policies shaping the workforce
Mental Health Matters: Punitive practices
HSJ’s fortnightly briefing covering safety, quality, performance and finances in the mental health sector.
Performance Watch: Speak now, or forever hold your peace
Our fortnightly newsletter on the most pressing performance matters troubling system leaders
Following the money: Uncertain future for £1bn saving scheme
HSJ’s expert briefing on NHS finances, savings and efforts to get the health service back in the black.
Data
This week we have updated the following:
- 18-week waiting time target of acute, specialist, community trusts in Q4(2018-2019)
- Elective patients waiting more than 18 weeks of acute, specialist trusts in Q4(2018-2019)
- 18-week waiting time target of Private providers in Q4(2018-2019)
