NUH to announce changes to deliver improved care and financial savings | Latest news

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is announcing a new plan to transform its services, improve patient care and deliver the significant financial savings that are required.

Plans, which will be presented to the Trust’s Board on Thursday 12 June, include the introduction of a new digital app for patients, increased collaboration with local partners to reduce the number of people being admitted to hospital, and developing the use of modern technology to improve the efficiency of services.

The plan will also detail reductions in support and corporate services, and addresses reliance on the use of agency and temporary staff as well as tackling spend on overtime.

The transformation plan is being announced as the government plans to launch its new 10-year plan for the NHS, shifting focus from hospitals to community, treatment to prevention and analogue to digital. NUH has also confirmed that the Trust needs to make savings of around £97m in the coming year, with government instructing all trusts to reduce the size of their corporate and support services.

Anthony May, Chief Executive at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), said: “Our vision is to be outstanding in health outcomes, alongside providing an excellent patient and staff experience. We also have a duty to the taxpayer to spend within our means.

“To do this we must improve the quality of patient care, improve patient flow and achieve a better working experience for staff, alongside the delivery of significant financial savings.

“Our plan aims to create hospitals designed for the 21st century, by utilising new technology, streamlining processes, focusing on prevention and treating people in the community.”

Changes across the Trust include:

· A transformed outpatient experience, reducing waits for a first appointment and eliminating long waits to be seen.

· Putting power in the hands of patients with the introduction of a new app to book and reschedule appointments, access test results, and communicate with the clinicians looking after them.

· Reducing the length of time people spend in hospital, with an additional 5,000 operations carried out as a day case and getting people home sooner when they are medically safe to leave hospital.

· Improved access to diagnostics, with enhanced booking and scheduling and more access to diagnostic tests through the new Community Diagnostics Centre.

· Expanding theatres and improving their use. Expansion of trauma, vascular and hand services, three new theatres and 18 day-case PODS to be opened in 2026.

· Improved environment and efficient use of buildings, including moving out of buildings that are no longer needed, investing in better buildings and progressing towards net zero carbon (with a reduction in energy costs)

· Reducing our pay bill to minimise the use of temporary staffing, saving £24m by limiting the use of bank and agency staff, reducing overtime and not replacing leavers where possible.

“There’s no hiding from the fact that we are in a period of change in the NHS. We know that we cannot make these improvements without making savings and have had clear instructions from government on the reductions needed in support services across the NHS.” said Anthony May.

“While we have already made significant savings of around £91m, we know there is more to do in the next three years to meet our financial targets and to help us to meet the needs of our patients and staff.

“This will result in us having to make some difficult decisions in the coming years, in particular reducing our staff numbers by at least 430 this financial year, the majority of which will be from corporate and support services. Our Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme has already identified approximately 100 posts. We will do everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies, by not replacing staff as they retire or leave for example, and we will do everything we can to protect clinical roles.

“We know this is not easy for colleagues to hear, but we are being honest in this conversation with them. I want to thank all our staff for their continued commitment to patient care and for supporting us in making such significant savings already. I know this will be challenging, but our plan will ensure our services are fit for the modern world and we will provide the best environment for our staff to provide care to our patients.”