Need to know
For #TeamEEAST Last updated: 18 May 2024 at 13:54
We frequently talk about the significant contribution that our fantastic volunteers make to our organisation, and we continue to build on that base with the number of available volunteer hours increasing again this month. It is important that we make the most of their time, and when it comes to our community first responders (CFRs), EOC are continuing to support this with further improvements to the way we dispatch them, but there is still work to do. This month we had 22,000 hours logged but were only able to actively use 2,000 of these, something we are working hard to change.
Another area of the Trust which will greatly benefit from volunteer involvement will be our unscheduled care hubs, five of which are now open with the sixth launching at the beginning of November. The hubs are a great achievement, for us and our system partners, particularly when you realise that it was only in February that our ICSs committed to developing an unscheduled care co-ordination hub. Each hub supports our 999 system and has two purposes, The first, to build on our access to the stack work, working with alternative care providers to provide an alternative to ambulance dispatch for non-emergency C3-5 calls. The second, to provide a ‘call before convey’ single point of access for our crews to access clinical advice and support in finding the right care for patients who do not require emergency department resources.
It's great to see the hubs up and running and making an impact in time for winter. There is still a way to go to get them embedded and we also want to work with our system partners and commissioners to gather data on failed referrals, which will help guide the commissioning of new and improved services so that patients can be cared for closer to home.
Working with the Fire Service
Last week we met with the strategic fire board and wrote to each of our county fire chiefs offering to be part of a 12 month pilot involving fire staff responding to low acuity falls in the frail and vulnerable, and combining this with a home fire welfare check. There is so much potential for us to increase the way we work alongside our fire colleagues and is a further step towards increased integration between the fire and ambulance services, building on the excellent co-response model we already have for C1 calls across the region. I’m hopeful that we will start to see this collaborative falls and fire plan becoming a reality in some areas from next month.
PTS in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
Last month, I talked about changes to some of our PTS contracts across the region and at that time we had just taken the difficult decision not to bid for the contract in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough (C&P).
Since then, the initial tender has failed and a new tender with a higher value has been published. However, even with the increase in funding we do not feel that the tender has enough financial support in place for us to provide effective care for our patients.
It has not been an easy decision. After 20 years of providing a PTS service in C&P it is a big change, but unfortunately if we cannot provide a service that puts our patients at the centre then we must step away.
Rest assured that we are working closely with colleagues who are affected by this change, keeping them updated and providing support as needed. A new contractor for the service will be in place from October 2024, and we will share any details around this as soon as we have them.
For our remaining contracts, in Beds and Luton (BLMK) and Herts and West Essex (HWE), we have agreed to work with those systems to design an integrated approach to delivering PTS. Both contracts have been extended to March 2025 and we have risk share agreements in place for this period. Following the failure of the Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) tender we are now in negotiations with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to put in place an agreement that will mirror the arrangements in BLMK and HWE.
Lastly, I would like to recognise the incredible amount of hard work from every member of our PTS team in what really is a very challenging situation. Thanks to each and every one of you.
want to work with our system partners and commissioners to gather data on failed referrals, which will help guide the commissioning of new and improved services so that patients can be cared for closer to home.
Workplace behaviours survey
A gentle reminder that this year’s Workplace Behaviours Survey is now open until 29th September. The previous two surveys have provided a wealth of information that we have been able to use as a basis for change, and this latest survey is important in helping us to monitor the impact this has had and to gain a clear understanding of where our focus should be as we continue to build on this.
The survey is completely anonymous, please do take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us. You can complete the survey here.
Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) annual report
This week saw the publication of our EOC Annual Report 2022-23 which, as well as including information on the services provided and performance, also highlights some of the outstanding work delivered across the EOCs over the past year. As ever, the past twelve months have not been without their challenges, but as a team the EOCs have really risen to the challenge and provided a service which we can all be proud of. Well done to you all.
Learn more about neurodiversity
Our regular monthly learning circle session for managers is taking place on the morning of Thursday 21st September via Teams, and this time it’s focusing on neurodiversity and supporting neurodivergent colleagues.
If you haven’t been to a session before they are a great way to learn from shared experiences and ask questions in a ‘safe zone’. They are open to anyone with line management responsibility. You can find all the details on NeedtoKnow.
Questions on concrete
I know some of you may have had questions about our Trust buildings following the recent news coverage around reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). We have now audited all of our buildings and I can tell you that we are confident that none of them were built using that type of concrete.
Thank you Thursday
This week we’re sharing thank you for West Herts colleagues.
‘They showed compassion, integrity and genuine care and concern or the patient whilst carrying out the necessary tests before taking the patient to hospital.'
Thank you.
Kate Vaughton
Deputy CEO and Director of Integration
Published 14 September 2023