James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (JPUH) has shared its refreshed clinical strategy for the next five years.
The Norfolk based trust has updated its strategy for 2021 to 2026, which is based around four ‘overarching’ main ambitions – to deliver outstanding care for patients, work with and support its people, make best use of physical and financial resources, and to be a leader in collaboration and local partnerships.
In its foreword, the trust explained that the updates had taken place for three key reasons – to “re-set” its clinical vision following “learning from the COVID pandemic”, to take into account the NHS Long Term Plan, and to “inform the planning” for the new James Paget University Hospital, which is part of the national New Hospitals Programme (NHP).
The strategy was also developed with the transition to a Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS) in mind.
The 38-page document focuses on a number of topics, such as clinical themes, strategic context for the trust, strategy enablers, clinical pathway-based groupings, and next steps.
In its executive summary, JPUH states that it worked with local clinicians to develop an “initial set of eleven specialties which would provide the biggest opportunity for delivering services for patients differently”. This then informed the creation of its clinical vision and three key themes, which underpin the strategy.
The first theme – ‘working with partners on alternatives to hospital care’ – involves “supporting the population to live well at home, avoiding unnecessary hospital attendances and admissions” through partnership working, prevention, maximising the use of digital technology, and promotion of ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ integration.
JPUH’s second key theme revolves around ‘person centred care with a focus on outcomes and user experience’. This involves aims around reduced waiting times, holistic care, a seven-day service provision, the separation of planned and unplanned care to help reduce elective operation cancellations, and a single waiting list across the ICS.
Finally, the third theme – ‘coming home and living well in the community’ takes a look at post-discharge issues. The goal of this theme is to see a ‘seamless transition’ between hospital and community care, and an improved self-management approach for patients with long-term conditions. It will also involve promoting care at home, in the community and through remote services, as well as reduced lengths of stay in hospitals, and increased access to diagnostics.
With this in mind, the trust has also shared that it’s overall clinical vision is ‘Putting patients first – providing high quality acute clinical services to support our communities to live a healthier life’.
JPUH believes its aims can be achieved through four enabling strategies – Estates, Digital, Workforce and Research – which will support its overall goals.
In Estates, the trust will target space and services to improve patient flow, safety, efficiency and flexibility.
While, the Digital strategy will see a focus on ‘key enablers’ such as an ICS shared Electronic Patient Record (EPR), a regional Shared Care Record (SCR), the expansion of whole-journey clinical pathways, integration of all information including data, audio, and visual services, information access and processing at every patient touchpoint, replacement of paper with digital information, transformation of personalised healthcare through artificial intelligence and digital automation, and increased investment in digital services.
For the Workforce strategy, JPUH has short, medium and long-term people aims. These stretch from the development of further retention plans for areas with high turnover, through to opportunities for more staff to work remotely, working with partners in the ICS to introduce common employment practices and opportunities for staff to move around the system, providing staff with long-term career opportunities, and co-designing services with staff for the future.
Finally, in the Research strategy, areas highlighted include maximising opportunities for patients and staff to be involved in projects through research hubs, increasing the number and range of staff groups with research-based knowledge by providing mentorship and training, encouraging staff to undertake educational opportunities, embedding research within the culture as ‘business as usual’, and working with partners across Norfolk and Waveney to identify local needs.
For James Paget University Hospitals’ full clinical strategy, click here.
