NHS Improvement Director "Excited" After Visit

Two eminent national figures visited the Morecambe Bay area to find out more about the work being undertaken to join-up the health and care system.

Dr Kathy McLean, Executive Medical Director for NHS Improvement, and Dr Youssof Oskrochi, National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow, found out more about how colleagues across the local health system are working together to provide more joined up care for the local population.

It is the latest of a series of visits by national figures, which have included health commentator Roy Lilley, international health expert Don Berwick, and Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.

The visit included a tour of Royal Lancaster Infirmary which included the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU), the emergency department, and the Acute Frailty Unit.

Sue Smith, Executive Chief Nurse said:

“Kathy was particularly impressed with the multi-disciplinary team who work together to ensure the frail elderly get the care they need to go home sooner and safe.”

The pair also met the emergency department triage staff and other colleagues to find out about the patient safety approach, the e-documentation and whiteboards, and the improvement culture.

Kathy and Youssof then met with University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) Medical Director, Dr David Walker, to learn about the work of Bay Health and Care Partners around ‘population health’, which means looking at the health of whole communities and trying to prevent illness before it takes hold, rather than treating people only when they become ill.

The visit also saw time spent with Dr Mark Denver, who is a local GP as well as being a member of the Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group. During this time they explored the work underway in Integrated Care Communities, which aim to join up hospital, community and other health and care services.

They also heard about the initiatives across the communities of Morecambe Bay to encourage safe self-care, and improve people’s health and well-being.

The visitors were also keen to hear about the work of staff which resulted in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection outcome, which rated UHMBT as, “Outstanding” for caring and “Good” overall, in addition to plans to make even further progress in the future.

Kathy said:

“It was good to be back in Morecambe Bay, we really enjoyed our study visit; it was exciting to see all the improvements that have been made by teams working across the health system, and to hear about the ambitious plans for the future.”