Issue - meetings

Update from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)

Meeting: 27/11/2024 - Adult Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 5)

Update from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)

To provide an update/presentation on service developments at the St. Cross Hospital in Rugby and the recent closure of the Hoskyn ward.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation from Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive and Justine Richards, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of UHCW. There had been reported concerns regarding the closure of the Hoskyn ward at the St Cross Hospital, Rugby and the presentation informed members of the service developments taking place at this hospital. The slides covered the following areas:

 

  • Transforming services at the Hospital of St Cross, Rugby.
  • The vision for the hospital, with context on how this had been developed, the aims for some services to be delivered in communities and in partnership, with a focus on elective surgical procedures at this hospital:
    • ‘More than a Hospital’ committed to transform the Hospital of St Cross, build modern facilities and improve staff and patient experience.
    • Regional leader for elective care – GIRFT (get it right first time). The hospital was one of only 36 sites nationally to be accredited as a surgical hub.
    • To deliver expanded and modern elective services to meet the needs of a growing population in Rugby. Evidence of the high proportion of orthopaedic services already delivered at this hospital.
    • Separating emergency and planned care onto two distinct sites, with less disruption to planned procedures and driving down waiting lists.
    • ‘Health on the High Street’ development for some outpatient services to improve accessibility. The former Wilko retail premises was being leased. Reference also to the better transport links to the town centre and economic benefits of increasing footfall from the use of such premises.
    • Multi-phase 10-year plan with a Strategic Partner – Development Control Plan.
  • Investing in the Hospital of St Cross since 2021:
    • Modular build of two new theatres – expanding surgical capacity.
    • £1 million Haematology and Oncology Maple Unit opened in 2021 - increasing outpatient appointments numbers for local people.
    • A specialist breast care unit offering surgical and nurse-led clinics, reconstruction, plastic surgery and breast surgery physiotherapy.
    • New ultrasound unit in outpatients. An extra scanner doing 4000 more procedures each year.
    • New modular endoscopy unit, with a dedicated two-storey unit, delivering 30% more tests for patients with potentially life-threatening conditions. This had resulted in 73,000 additional tests from Rugby since the start of the diagnostics programme.
    • Investment in wayfinding and signage, with a new site map and plans for a single entrance to the hospital.
    • An Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), which currently was adjacent to the out of hours GP service. This formed part of a C&W wide review by the ICB. The expectation was for a doctor-led UTC at this location. There had been investment in a virtual consultant link to UHCW.
    • Over £4 million in energy-saving measures. It was one of greenest hospitals in the country, utilising air source heat pumps and solar panels which would contribute to becoming to carbon neutral by 2045.

Andy Hardy concluded that the St Cross Hospital was central to the UHCW vision, with significant investment being made.

 

In response to this part of the presentation, more detail was sought on surgical hubs, what impact they had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5