Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper met with West Herts teams during a high-profile visit to Watford General this week.
Accompanied by the Health Secretary, Mr Burnham toured the control ‘data’ room, Ambulatory Assessment Unit (AAU) scanner, and then spoke to frontline teams over a cup of tea as he listened to how the Trust had gone from the bottom of the league tables to right near the top.
Mr Burnham and Ms Cooper were visiting West Herts to find out how we were preparing for winter, and to hear how we were leading the way nationally by eliminating corridor care.
West Herts is currently the 3rd best in the country for A&E waiting times, and 6th overall in England for acute, non-specialist Trusts.
The VIPs heard about the role data plays in helping improve the flow of patients both in and out of the hospital. They then visited the AAU emergency scanner and heard how stroke patients were benefitting from the high-tech machines, which provide rapid imaging for emergency assessments.
Mr Burnham and Mrs Cooper, along with local MP Matt Turmaine, met around 16 staff members in the Emergency Department and over tea and biscuits heard from frontline doctors and nurses about the change in culture which had driven the improvements in performance.
Kelly McGovern, chief nurse, explained how “we work with the mindset of treating every patient like it’s your own family member and none of us would want our loved ones being cared for in a corridor – and so why should anyone else accept it? We have said we won’t do that.”
The final stop in the visit was a stop at the ambulance bay, where they met ambulance crews and heard how they worked closely with our hospital teams to cut down on unnecessary visits to A&E.
Yvette Cooper also visited our Virtual Hospital to learn more about how technology and remote monitoring are helping patients receive care safely in their own homes, reducing the need for hospital admissions.
Commenting after the visit, West Herts chief executive, Matthew Coats, said:
“This was a very proud day for the Trust. To welcome both the Prime Minister and Health Secretary at the same time is something that happens very rarely indeed.
“It reflects the progress our teams have made over recent years in improving patient care that they both wanted to visit us and hear more about the steps we’ve taken to get rid of corridor care and cut waiting times.
“I would like to thank them both for their interest, the time they took to speak to colleagues and their support for what we’re doing here at West Herts.
“A huge thank you too to all our colleagues involved in today's visit, particularly our Emergency Department, Command Centre and Virtual Hospital teams, and everyone who helped showcase the outstanding work taking place across West Herts to care for our patients.”
The visit was a return to Watford General for the Health Secretary, who previously spent time with colleagues in August, shadowing staff across maternity, emergency and elderly care services. Read more about the visit.
Mr Burnham had previously visited Watford General in 2007 as Health Minister and 2010, as Health Secretary.
